Keeping Alive
by solka
Summary: [Sequel to "Another One"] Jesse's gone to NY, while Rachel stays in Carmel. She discovers her newly acquired popularity as the lead of the most popular team in the school, tries to deal with the fact that Jesse's not there, but not without obstacles - because not everything is a fairytale! [Disclaimer - I still don't own Glee or the canon characters]
1. The Top

**Chapter 1: The top**

 **Rachel's POV**

 **(Rachel's sophomore year; Invitationals in Carmel)**

 _Are you here already?_

Rachel looked around to make sure no one's looking over her shoulder and glanced back at the screen of her cell phone. Smiling, she texted back as quickly as she could:

 _I'm entering the auditorium. You sure you can't sneak out for a sec?_

She waited only few seconds before her phone buzzed again. She read the message immediately but her face fell at the text:

 _Not really. Shelby is still in the audience._

Rachel looked around and, indeed, spotted Vocal Adrenaline's coach few meters from her. The woman was talking with an important-looking middle-aged lady. However, as if feeling Rachel's look on her head, Shelby turned to look in Rachel's direction. Rachel smiled and waved discretely; Shelby returned the smile nodding ever so slightly to greet the girl and before returning her attention to her interlocutor. Sighing silently, Rachel focused on her phone again.

 _It's stupid that she wouldn't let you come out for a second._

Jesse's answer was almost immediate:

 _I know, it sucks. But I can see you from the wings._

Rachel's head snapped to the direction of the stage and she smiled widely seeing Jesse dressed in a white dress shirt and black slacks, glancing from behind the curtain. He looked ridiculously good and grinned to her in response to her own smile. She saw him moving his fingers over the keyboard of his phone – soon after that, her phone gave out a distinct buzz.

 _Where's the rest of your team_? he wrote.

Rachel looked around again but her friends were still out in the hallway.

 _Outside. I'm saving the seats._

 _Come here._

Rachel didn't need any further encouragement. She jumped to her feet and started walking down the aisle. She wanted to wish Jesse good luck – not that he needed any – herself and, before all, just see him. The last few weeks were crazy for her, with glee club, Finn and many other things, and Jesse's visits were limited by Shelby's exhausting schedule for Vocal Adrenaline. Carmel's Invitationals gave them a great opportunity to meet, that's why she was so enthusiastic about coming over to Akron – even if with her team who couldn't know she knew Jesse.

Rachel was almost by the stage when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She threw Jesse a quick glance and saw the dismay displayed all over his face. She didn't need to turn around to know whose hand was holding her.

"Rachel, take a seat. Don't distract him," Shelby told her with a raised eyebrow.

As if she could distract him from showing a crowd of people what an awesome singer he was.

"I just wanted to wish him good luck," she pouted with innocent expression.

"I'll pass the message," the woman smiled at her warmly and Rachel felt a pang of guilt in her heart. No, she couldn't say anything yet. Then, Shelby looked up and her face sobered instantly. "I think your coach is looking for you."

Rachel turned to see that, indeed, Mr Schue and Ms Pillsbury were by their seats, looking around in search of something – most probably her. Kurt, Tina, Artie and Mercedes were with them and Kurt was the first to spot her. He frowned and looked at her questioningly. Rachel sighed and nodded curtly at Shelby, praying at the same time that Kurt or anyone do not recognise Shelby as the coach of Vocal Adrenaline.

She pulled out her phone again and, walking back to her seat, typed a short message to Jesse.

 _Break a leg._

She returned to her seat and took it without a comment.

"Who's that woman?" she heard Kurt's whisper over her ear.

Rachel looked behind her to see Shelby talking with some man now.

"I don't know," Rachel replied trying to sound nonchalant. "She wanted to know the time."

Kurt looked at her for a moment and then he lowered his head to look at her cell phone that she was still holding in her hand. Rachel turned away from him and focused on the stage purposefully ignoring his stare. He obviously didn't believe her but Rachel had no intention of telling them that she was friends with their competition and knew their coach. And that the said coach was her biological mother.

Not for the first time, Rachel wanted to just ran up to the woman and tell her she knew. Telling her mother that she wanted them to be close was something she never considered seriously, until she met Finn. Suddenly, she craved a woman's opinion and advice. Her dads were great, Jesse even more, but she simply wanted a _mum_ to talk to. Rachel grimaced under her nose. Telling Shelby would solve many problems; but until she was eighteen, she couldn't. Opening her mouth would be troublesome for Shelby, to say the least. And getting her into trouble was out of question – her dads would have been able to restrain their contacts completely.

"Hey, guys, so this is supposed to be our 'competition'," Mr Schue's voice brought her back to reality.

Rachel blinked and saw the man make a quote marks with his fingers. Rachel muffled a snort at the arrogant and confident tone of her teacher's voice. He was in for a surprise, apparently.

"But I honestly don't think that they've got the talent that we have."

Oh, he definitely was in for a surprise. Not that Rachel didn't believe in the New Directions. She totally did but her glee club were just at the threshold of their show choir adventure, she just had to admit that to herself. The team was in desperate need of new members, more backups for her solos and definitely better attitude. They had a potential but they needed to work hard before they are really good.

Someday, they will be just as lethal as Vocal Adrenaline – better even – but not yet. Until that day comes, they will watch the best club in the US with smiles on their faces, cheer them – Jesse – on and play it nice. When the time comes, Rachel will show Shelby that she didn't need to transfer to Carmel to get National title with _her_ team.

Her considerations were interrupted by the beginning of the first performance. The lights dimmed and the host's voice announced Jesse's team to the stage. Rachel straightened up and smiled. The curtain went up and they saw Vocal Adrenaline gathered in the middle of the stage, standing there with their heads lowered. Jesse was situated in the back; he was the only one not to look at his feet. Instead, he was looking directly ahead of him with a smirk.

Then they began.

And that was something Rachel called a show. She discretely looked sideways to spy on other's reaction and forced her expression not to betray her feelings; they were all sitting with terrified and astonished faces that screamed disbelief and terror, even Mr Schue. She moved a little and focused back on the stage and then again on Shelby. The woman was standing by the wall to her right, carefully observing the scene and her performers in silent evaluation and nodding her head slowly.

And as suddenly as it started, the number was over.

The auditorium erupted in a thunderstorm of applause and whistles when Vocal Adrenaline finished singing. Rachel blinked several times, trying to focus back on the Carmel auditorium. Her hand twitched in the similar reaction to the people around her but the rest of the New Directions didn't move; they seemed to be in too much of a shock to react in any way. Rachel thought that applauding the competition wouldn't be a fortunate in these circumstances.

"We're d-d-doomed," Tina stuttered out with horror.

Rachel rolled her eyes, even their coach didn't seem to be in a good mood. Where was their war spirit? Gathering her strengths, Rachel quickly jumped to her feet and started clapping her hands. Her companions threw her stunned looks.

"Come on, they were good," she told them encouragingly. "Heads up. Show some class."

Slowly, one by one, they joined her. Rachel looked at the stage again, hoping to give Jesse her own private applause, but the team was off the stage already. Just as if Jesse was reading her mind, her phone buzzed for the tenth time this day.

 _You can always transfer. I have Leroy wrapped around my finger and I bet I could convince even Hiram._

Rachel shook her head to herself reading Jesse's message. She was getting tired of hearing the proposal over and over. She would love to go to Carmel, sure, but her dads couldn't just throw everything – their job, friends and her school – away. Besides, as long as Shelby was teaching there, it was highly unlikely for her dads to seek any sort of closeness with the woman apart from Rachel knowing her as Jesse's coach.

 _To move to Akron? They would never do that, Jesse._

She didn't need to wait long for his answer. She laughed silently to herself when she read:

 _Then, to allow you move in with me. You could sleep in my bed while I'm on the floor, guarding you._

She raised her eyebrow.

 _Don't you have like three spare bedrooms in your house?_

 _But with you in the guest room there would be no fun._

"And now, a round of applause for guests invited by our own Vocal Adrenaline especially for this occasion. From the Dalton Academy in Westerville, The Warblers!" the host announced and Rachel looked up. That was unusual – Vocal Adrenaline rarely shared their performance space. Looking around, Rachel saw how Mr Schuester frowns and whispers something to Ms Pillsbury's ear.

In meanwhile, the all-boy team was already on the stage. Rachel has heard about this team, they had a good lead – not as good as Jesse and she but a decent one – and were currently the second best glee club in Ohio. Hit with a sudden realisation, Rachel let out a short breath. There's nothing simpler than inviting the enemy on the stage to observe and learn their weaknesses, Rachel thought. Indeed, Shelby was still in her spot, watching the group of teenagers on her stage. Giselle was with her, nodding her head and making notes.

Shaking her head, Rachel focused back on the stage. The Warblers started their performance and Rachel felt another buzz against her leg. She looked around the dark audience and read the message.

 _We are better._ Jesse wrote simply.

 _Are you watching them from the wings?_

 _I'm right behind you._

Rachel froze.

 _What do you mean behind me?_

She heard someone move in the row behind her and felt a hand going through her hair. She bit her lip while doing everything in her power not to react in any way. Jesse was sitting behind her and she couldn't even move her head not to reveal them. She really didn't need anyone to see the lead vocalist of Vocal Adrenaline playing with her hair.

She pulled her cell phone up to her face.

 _Someone will notice you_ , she sent to Jesse.

His hands released her locks. Rachel quickly pulled away and pushed her hair over her shoulder away from Jesse's hands.

 _It's too dark. They have a good lead._

Rachel focused on the stage again. The dark-haired guy who was singing was called Blaine Anderson and she just had to admit that Jesse was right; he had a good voice and moves. She looked around to see if her colleagues shared her opinion and noticed that Kurt was observing the boy intently. She smiled.

 _We tried to bring him in but he's too stubborn. Like you. So Shelby invited his team to show him what he's losing by his refusal._

Rachel raised her eyebrows.

 _Poaching is a sin._ She wrote with a sober expression. She couldn't understand why Shelby needed to bring in people from other teams to Carmel if they were already a perfectly programmed winning-machine.

 _Poaching is a strategy._

"Who are you texting, Berry?"

Rachel jumped in the air at the sound of Mercedes' annoyed voice by her ear. She looked at her teammate and prayed that the girl didn't look behind her to see Jesse's hands on her hair again.

"Focus on the stage, will you?" the girl grumbled on.

"I'm not texting anyone," Rachel whispered back. "I'm taking notes to analyse later."

"Uh-uh," Mercedes replied and turned away from her.

Another buzz.

 _What was that about?_

So Jesse was still watching her. She smiled to herself.

 _You. Texting me._

The Warblers' show was over and people around Rachel stood up from their seats to clap their hands. She quickly followed suit and finally, under the cover of general chaos, turned back to look behind her and stole a glance at Jesse. He was clapping his hands as well but his eyes were focused on her. He leaned in and Rachel understood that he wanted to use the general hustle and bustle to cover up his voice.

"Why are you even so bound on them not knowing about me? Are you ashamed of me, Rach?" he asked with a fake hurt in his voice. In response, she only snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Okay guys," she heard Mr Schue's voice. He tried to sound optimistic but the terror was much too visible in his voice to be ignored. Rachel suppressed a roll of her eyes this time. "It wasn't that bad. Let's meet in the parking lot in twenty minutes."

Rachel nodded her head and watched how the rest of her team got up and felt the auditorium along with the people around them. She called after her colleagues that she will join them in a minute, and making sure she was alone, she turned around and grinned at Jesse who leaned against the back of his chair and smiled at her lazily. He was still in his costume but his white shirt was covered by the blue Vocal Adrenaline jacket.

"So, Ms Berry, scouting the competition, aren't we?" he mocked her.

Rachel rolled her eyes. Jesse changed his position and leaned in, closer her. His hand reached out to her bag before she managed to react. He grabbed it and started going through her stuff, ignoring her attempts at snatching her belongings back to her.

"You are ridiculous, Jesse. Why would I spy on you since my infiltration started years ago," she threw back in answer to his question, while trying to get a hold of her bag. Jesse was now standing on his feet and she was too short to jump over to catch her bag that he was holding in her hand. She swore that sometimes Jesse was just a big child. "There's nothing more I can learn about you."

Jesse smirked.

"And you know how hot that is?" he replied with raised brow. "You know everything about me, I know everything about you and we're still just a pair of innocently decent best friends."

Rachel rolled her eyes; it was because she knew _more_ than she wanted about him that they were just friends. She hated when Jesse used that mocking tone towards her; like she was a toddler and he wanted to show Rachel her place. Finally, Jesse found his CD that he was looking for in Rachel's bag and gave it to her back without another comment.

"Speaking of hot, the Warbler's lead was kind of cute," she noticed, remembering the sweet smile he threw at the audience at the end of the song. "I wish I could be pretty enough to date such boys," she added with a twinge of sadness when the face of one special quarterback appeared in her mind.

Jesse grimaced.

"I don't think you would ever be pretty enough for him," he noticed and Rachel glared. Jesse could be a jerk sometimes, seriously. She opened her mouth to hiss at him but he continued. "He's gay, Rach."

Oh.

"Kurt can have him, then," she murmured trying to keep her face straight.

Jesse chuckled.

"You are just pretty enough to get any straight guy in this city, Rach," Jesse ruffled her hair and she jumped back, trying to mend her hairdo. "But we will focus on that later. Now I gotta go back to Shelby. Say hi to Hiram and Leroy from me."

Jesse strode away and Rachel laughed after him:

"Hey, Jesse!"

He turned his head to look at her for the last time questioningly.

"We'll give you the run for your money this year," she shouted

Jesse burst into laughter.

"Can't wait to witness that, Rach!" he called back and disappeared in the crowd.

* * *

 **Rachel's POV**

 **(present day)**

"Rachel, I'm leaving in ten minutes," Shelby called from the kitchen. Rachel finished brushing her hair and put down the comb, looking at her reflection in the mirror critically. She sighed at the sight; she had dark circles under her eyes due to her last-night late talk with Jesse.

He has gone to New York over three weeks earlier and the only form of contact they had was through phone or Skype – none of which was enough for Rachel, to be honest. She and Jesse did whatever they could to stay in touch, even if it meant spending long hours talking to each other on the phone. Rachel thought that it should be illegal to let girls' boyfriends study in another state – it robbed the couple of the well-needed proximity and connection.

Shelby knocked at the door again and entered Rachel's room.

"Do you really want me to ban late phone calls with Jesse?" her mother threatened Rachel half-heartedly. "I can't have you sleeping on your legs at school or in rehearsal."

Hearing the words, Rachel quickly turned and shook her head.

"Just a bit of coffee and I'm good to go," she promised fervently. "Five minutes."

Shelby nodded her head and left the girl alone again. With more life this time, Rachel grabbed a bit of fluid and covered the dark evidence of the lack of sleep. Few seconds later, she was good to go.

"How are you feeling?" Shelby asked her when they jumped into her car. Rachel decided to get a ride with her mother before she had a chance to get _her_ Range Rover to their place. Rachel smiled under her nose at the memory of her deal with Jesse; she filled her end of the bargain and it was time to collect her possession.

"I miss Jesse," she murmured with a shrug. "It will be the first time I'm here without him."

Shelby nodded her head in understanding. She looked around before turning the engine on and pulling out of the parking lot.

"The team meets up after your last period," Shelby said, but her eyes were focused on the road ahead of her so that she didn't see the way Rachel's head slumped; another place that Jesse should be and wasn't. "We need to go over some purely organisational stuff but I'd like you to be there."

Rachel nodded her head. She pulled out her cell and sent a short message to Jesse. She grinned when he responded almost immediately.

"How many people we need to close the numbers?" Rachel asked, realising that Jesse wasn't the only senior that left the halls of Carmel.

Kate was off to Columbus. Rachel knew that she went to college there, probably even with her mysterious "Columbus guy" who none of them never really had a chance to meet face to face in the end. But, Kate being Kate, completely cut herself off their group not long after graduation. So, whatever Rachel thought was up with Kate, it all came down to wild guesses. Even Jesse was none the wiser – Kate stopped answering his calls soon after the end of June.

At the beginning Rachel was worried and slightly confused but Jesse remained calm, saying that Kate was a free spirit and probably in the midst of preparation for college or any other occupation. According to him, Kate had a summer internship in her friend's father's company and it probably took up most of her time.

As far as the rest of the seniors were concerned, they were more likely to show up from time to time. Andrea and Dave both got into Yale. Giselle couldn't resist the warmth and sun of California and ended up in Los Angeles. But before they all left, they would meet from time to time, either the girls alone or with Justin, Dave and Jesse as their bodyguards. However that was, Rachel always ended up glad that they were still there; she grew to love their company over the few months. But now, the team would seem... empty without them. Like something was missing.

Let's face it, she thought to herself. She would miss even the one girl that barely tolerated her presence; who was better to motivate her to give her best than Giselle's glare and more or less sneaky comment.

With this reflection, Rachel turned to look at Shelby who considered her words in silence.

"It depends on the rehearsal tomorrow," she answered. "We have obviously lost the core six but it doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't lose their spot after the summer."

"So we have to re-audition," Rachel guessed matter-of-factly.

Shelby threw her a short glance.

"It's not that I don't think any of you shouldn't be on the team..."

"It's just to re-establish some organisation and morale," Rachel finished for her mother with a smile. "I have no problem with that. In fact, I have the perfect song ready."

It was a nice improvement in the glee policy since the New Directions; Mr Schue accepted almost anyone and the mere idea of auditions for anything ended up in a fight and whines from Finn, Santana and Mercedes. Rachel believed in auditions being the only objective way of selecting the most proficient and valuable players in the team. Seeing that Shelby shared the view, Rachel couldn't hide the smile – again thanking for the possibility of being a part of her mother's group. She loved being in Vocal Adrenaline more and more.

In meantime, Shelby parked her car in the parking lot of Carmel. Rachel jumped out of the vehicle and stopped, looking around. She took another deep breath, remembering how nervous she was the first time she escaped Shelby's car like that – it was her first day in Carmel after her transfer in March. The nervous mess she'd been back then was now replaced by a surge of confidence and peace.

She was Rachel Berry, _the_ lead of Vocal Adrenaline and this year would be hers to take.

Smiling to herself, she waved at Shelby and strode towards the entrance. Some time later, she was by her locker fighting with the new code, when a mass of dark curls hit her arm and almost tackled her to the ground. Blinking, Rachel managed to get out of the dead hug and looked oddly at Jackie.

"Why the enthusiasm?" she asked raising her eyebrow. She and Jackie spent the summer apart; Rachel with Jesse and the rest, while Jackie was out in Europe with her boyfriend.

"Ready to take the school in the strides?" Jackie asked with a vicious smile. "It is going to be perfect. Oh, I can't wait – the homecoming, all the show choir competition ahead of us... the prom!"

Rachel chuckled at the last bit.

"Don't look so condescendingly, Berry," Jackie scowled at her. "You might've been to every possible prom for the past two years but I haven't, so suck it up and be happy for me."

Rachel nodded her head. The truth was, if she counted the last two proms she had gone to Jesse with and her own junior and senior prom in the following two years – it would seem she had a real chance of attending _a_ prom every year her of high school experience. Her, Rachel Berry. The McKinley loser and weird Broadway diva. Where does it put Quinn Fabray and Santana Lopez then? she thought with satisfaction, closing her locker with a loud thud. Jackie was going on and on about her prom dress and other exciting plans for the forthcoming months and Rachel only smiled in response. She grabbed Jackie's schedule to confirm they still had most of their classes together.

"Fine, let the new year begin," Rachel officially announced.

Jackie seemed to finally calm down; she stopped talking and pulled out her cell phone, tailing Rachel closely while typing furiously.

"Hi, Rachel," someone called nearby. Rachel looked up and turned but the owner of the voice was long gone. Shrugging, she went on but noticed the looks she received from majority of people; they weren't the usual curious or, fortunately, hostile glances. Instead, looking around, she was met with smiles, nods of heads, and short shy greetings from people she had no idea existed.

"Oh my god, I love that necklace," some small blonde who Rachel vaguely recognised from Spanish approached her. "Where did you get it?"

"Thanks," Rachel replied carefully – she wasn't used to getting that much positive attention. She touched the said piece of jewellery that she'd gotten from Jesse's mom for her 'birthday' and looked at it with a smile. "It was a present."

"Oh, it's super cool. Well, see you later, Rachel," the blonde waved her hand.

Feeling her confidence raise even more, Rachel lifted her head and tucked Jackie's arm into her own, for once looking into her forthcoming high school days with hope and excitement.

Jackie was right: it was going to be amazing.

* * *

Entering her first class, she was surprised to see her old desk surrounded by people. She exchanged the quick looks with Jackie who shrugged, as lost as she. Only when Rachel came closer she met familiar blue eyes.

"Justin," she smiled uncertainly. "Hi."

The boy who was most probably going to end up singing his leads beside her, jumped to his feet. The girls around scowled at her initially but Rachel only shook her head in reassuring manner.

"I'm still dating Jesse St. James," she clamed down the glares. "This one is still on market," she assured the gathered crowd, gesturing to Justin's smug smirk.

It caused the expected reaction; the girls – mostly cheerleaders – scattered around but kept looking at them with suspicion. Only when they were left relatively alone, Rachel focused on Justin again. She finally noticed the tall pile of files on her desk.

"What's that?" she asked looking down and opening the first one. It contained the birth certificate and resume of a girl named Cecilia Brandston. She instantly realised what she was looking at. "Oh, right."

Justin nodded his head.

"We wanted to spare you the necessity while Jesse was still in town," he said. "But we need to get back on the track with the missing people. Did Shelby get you through the mechanics of the first two or three rehearsals?"

Nodding her head, Rachel analysed the remaining documents in Cecilia Brandston's file critically. She didn't even finish reading the second page of her health history when she grimaced.

"This one is a no-no," she declared. "Knee surgery two years ago."

Without waiting for Justin's approbate, she placed the file on her desk, pulled out her pink marker and put a big X on it. Justin whistled impressed.

"You know the ropes, I see," he grinned at her. "Great, this is only a part of files on people from Carmel. I have the rest and the ones from other teams worth considering."

"I did it with Jesse every year," Rachel answered, finally looking up at her teammate. "I'll get it done by the end of the week, is it possible? Then I'd like to have a look at your part."

"I think we should get this done by the end of this week. Let's just meet up tonight after rehearsal at my place?"

Eventually agreeing with Justin, Rachel nodded her head. The bell rang and the students around them started taking their seats.

"I feel we're going get a good job done this year, Berry," Justin threw over his shoulder.

Sighing happily, she opened her books and tried to concentrate on the board but found it impossible. It was unbelievable, she'd texted with Jesse less than half an hour earlier and yet she couldn't resist typing another few words.

 _Heading to meet my mentor_ , Jesse replied. _How is Carmel without me_?

 _Great but would be better if you were here_ , she texted back. _I can't stop thinking about you. Is this normal_?

She could imagine Jesse, somewhere on the campus, chuckling at her silly question.

 _Can't say if it's normal but it's definitely the way I spent my last eighteen days, thirteen hours and... twenty four minutes: thinking about you_.

Blushing slightly, Rachel grinned to herself. So she wasn't the only one counting the days, huh?

"Earth to Rachel."

Rachel's head snapped upwards. She looked at Jackie who was pointing subtly to the teachers' desk. Mr Towell, her new algebra teacher was glaring at her phone.

"Ms..." the man started.

"Berry, sir," she stammered nervously. It was the firs time she was caught daydreaming by a teacher.

"Can you tell us, Ms Berry," Mr Towell smirked. "What's so interesting on that phone?"

Rachel's face turned red.

"Nothing, sir."

She had a hunch the teacher would not be her greatest fan. Luckily, algebra wasn't her worst school subject so she would make sure not to slack off in classes.

"I thought so," the man threw standing up and approaching her. Glancing nervously at Jackie, she noticed her friend's scared expression. Great, just what she needed: making a new teacher mad on her first day; Shelby would be so happy.

Rachel was sure the man would confiscate the device but he only took it from her hands and threw a quick glance at the screen. Rachel opened her mouth to protest but before she could get out a single word, Mr Towell grimaced.

"Jesse St. James? He's not even in the same state and he somehow manages to disturb my classes again."

Someone nearby muffled a chuckle. Towell looked in that direction but Rachel only frowned. But she remained calm when the teacher threw her an evaluating look.

"You are in that team?" he asked impassively.

Rachel nodded.

"I'm the new lead," she answered confidently but trying not to sound too proudly. The man didn't seem to like show choirs or at least its members.

"Lead?" the man repeated. "Then I guess we won't be seeing much of each other, at least. Works for me."

Rachel opened her mouth in confusion and was about to ask but the teacher simply gave her back her phone and returned to his desk. Stunned, Rachel opted for the safest way-out she saw: keeping silent for the rest of the class, not to make the teacher change his mind about throwing her outside or worse – telling Shelby. The only exception was when Mr Towell would try to test her randomly. Fortunately, she managed to get most of the equations right. Looking up, she almost expected to see the sight of irritation at his failed attempts at making her feel bad or uncomfortable by her, assumed, lack of knowledge. But instead she noticed the impressed expression with every correct answer.

Her phone stayed tucked inside her bag for the rest of the class, just in case.

"Another one. Who would be so kind as to..." Mr Towell smirked, looking straight at Rachel but he was interrupted by the distinct sound from the corridor.

Saved by the bell, Rachel let out a relieved breath. She jumped to her feet and wanted to get out of there as soon as possible but decided otherwise. Whispering to Jackie to wait for her outside, she approached the teacher's desk.

"Yes, Ms Berry?" Mr Towell asked, fortunately without the anticipated hint of dismay in his voice.

Rachel cleared her throat.

"I wanted to apologise for my behaviour at the beginning of the class," she sighed trying not to lose a grip on the pile of documents in her hands. That thing weighted a tone. "That won't happen again."

"I hope so. Tell Mr St. James not to text you when you're in my class," the man told her simply.

When she didn't go away immediately, Towell threw her another curious look.

"Something else?"

"Yes, actually," Rachel frowned. "What you've said earlier, about us not seeing each other often?"

The teacher stood up and started collecting the papers scattered across his desk.

"Well, assuming from the fact that Shelby Corcoran managed to get Mr St. James off the hook and send in some poor kid to take the classes for him for _four years_ , I don't expect to see you here more frequently than those traditional five times per semester."

Rachel let out a small sigh, finally understanding the teacher's words. She shrugged.

"I had the same opportunity last year and I still took most of my classes," Rachel declared. "I plan on doing myself as much as I can, sir."

Towell seemed surprised. Finally, he nodded his head.

"Good. You're smart, Berry. St. James was lazy, don't turn into him."

Jesse? Lazy? Rachel contained a chuckle. He was the most hard-working person she knew – but, true, it held mostly in the case of music. She threw a hasty goodbye and finally, exited the classroom.

"Oh my god," Jackie exclaimed as soon as she saw Rachel. "Do you know what you've just done?"

"Huh?" she didn't understand. "I apologised my teacher for disturbing the class?"

Jackie rolled her eyes.

"It's one thing to interrupt Towell's algebra," Jackie hushed admonishingly. "The other is forcing him to look at you after class once more. You just don't apologise to him... But I'm sure he told you this much himself."

Rachel shook her head.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," she said to Jackie. "He told me just to tell Jesse to be off the phone next time. And I told him I wasn't going to send anyone in for me like Jesse had."

Jackie irked an eyebrow.

"He let you talk?" she asked with disbelief. "I went to him to apologise once, in my freshman year. He first threw a tantrum and then _me_ out."

"You've caught him on his bad day or something. He seemed civil to me. Called me smart," Rachel added proudly. She liked being called smart.

"Who called you smart?" they heard a girl's voice next to them. Rachel turned and noticed that Briana joined them on her way to her own classroom.

"Towell," Jackie answered for Rachel which earned her a glare. She could speak for herself, really. "Can you believe it? She was texting Jesse and he called her _smart_ after the class."

"Well, I _have_ answered correctly almost all his question in class," Rachel crossed her arms across her chest. "I am smart."

Briana made a face and whistled.

"Towell had a soft spot for Jesse," the girl admitted. "But it was rather difficult relationship, I've heard. The one where Jesse could have done better but didn't give a damn despite Towell's fervent attempts. No wonder he's glad he doesn't have to put up with another rough diamond from VA. Oh, that's my stop," Briana called soon afterwards, gesturing to the open door nearby. "I'll see you two at lunch. Bye!"

"I like her," Jackie declared after the girl was gone. "And that reminds me..."

Jackie went through her bag in search for something. After a couple of seconds, she threw victorious 'a-ha!' and pulled something out. Rachel raised her eyebrow at the small recorder in Jackie's hands.

"Why do you need that?" she asked.

"We're going to have a little chit chat," Jackie announced. "During lunch? My readers are dying to know some juicy news about the team and their favourite show choir powercouple."

Rachel smiled at the term Jackie used. Jesse will be thrilled to hear that they managed to gather a considerable amount of fans outside; Jackie's blog was a well-reviewed site, with numerous entries and good notes. Rachel suspected most of that reputation came from the fact that she was so close to Vocal Adrenaline; more recently, with Rachel transferring and befriending Jackie, her insight became more thorough and her notes more interesting for possible glee-lovers.

She and Jesse used to provide her with some fresh gossips or news on record, so Rachel wasn't surprised by the request. But she wanted to get through some more urgent things first – like the damned heavy pile of documents she was trying to fit in her locker.

"Can we do it next week?" she asked pleadingly. "I have re-auditions this week and _this_ ," she finally managed to get rid of the last file.

Jackie smiled.

"Sure. How about Sunday afternoon? I try to post every Monday."

"It's a date," Rachel grinned.

* * *

The rest of her day was less eventful, Rachel admitted gladly. After the nerves of her algebra classes, Rachel was careful to keep her phone somewhere where it wouldn't tempt her to write to Jesse. He called her during lunch to tell briefly about his new mentor and she couldn't stop grinning like a madman when she heard his voice telling her with enthusiasm about the guy. Rachel was happy hearing his excited description; a good mentor was the foundation of his successful college career. Rachel spent almost twenty minutes talking with him until he sadly announced that he had a lecture.

When she returned to the table, she didn't even need to explain who called her. As usual, Vocal Adrenaline members had their lunch hour scheduled for the same slot so Rachel was able to meet the remaining members before the rehearsal. She wasn't the only one to notice the remarkable absence of the six oldest members – and they pried every piece of information on them. As it turned out, it was mostly her, Justin and Briana who were close enough to share some private news.

Soon after, the conversation shifted to the most pressing issue connected to that loss. Justin smiled looking at Rachel.

"There would be no problems," he assured the rest. "Jesse left us a rather effective player."

Rachel rolled her eyes. Briana and Paula chuckled at that.

"Don't be shy, Rachel," Paula noticed turning serious. "The way you think is very Jesse-like; if he could select only those who fitted, you can either."

Flattered by the comparison to Jesse, Rachel grinned and didn't even try to argue. There was nothing to argue, to be honest; she was Jesse's female counterpart, after all.

She glanced at Justin who went on to talk with Briana about something. The way Justin acted right now, and how the rest of the team treated him, it looked like he assumed the spot of the male lead for himself without any sort of discussion with her. True, Shelby changed the dynamics of the team for the Nationals last year to fit her solo into the show, but Rachel wasn't sure it had been only a temporary change to bribe her into staying in the team, or whether her mother planned on turning Vocal Adrenaline's single-centred show into duet performances permanently. She never thought to ask. Justin asked her to put in a good word for him last year and she had; maybe it gave him this sort of confidence.

And, surprisingly, Rachel had no problems with that whatsoever – assuming, of course, that she would play the role of the _main lead_ and get a solo in every major competition. As much as she hated to admit it – and if anyone would ask she would deny it fervently – she wasn't totally sure she would be able to do it on her own. That was why she almost wanted Justin to take up the second lead; leading a small newbie team like the New Directions was one thing – being solely responsible for the powerhouse like Vocal Adrenaline, with all its victories and people's expectations towards it – her – was a completely different matter.

Jesse would have laughed at her 'silly' concerns, she knew. But after last year Rachel needed to regain her strengths that were seriously harmed by McKinley. Jesse seemed to harbour no doubt about the fact that she would be great. Shelby never made a direct reference. Jackie... was Jackie.

* * *

Rachel arrived at the rehearsal as the last one. Briana and Justin immediately waved at her saying that they kept the spot for her. Smiling to herself, Rachel jumped into the seat and focused on Shelby, who entered the stage soon after. The woman threw them an evaluating look before speaking:

"Three things to discuss today," she announced without small talk. "First of all, we continue the last year's Nationals pattern; I gave it a long consideration and decided that with the loss of our former lead certain traditions must go as well. Fresh ideas are what we need not to end up in a box."

Rachel looked at Justin who chuckled.

"You didn't think she was going to put you in the back after last year, did you?" he whispered.

Rachel shrugged and answered in similar manner:

"I wasn't totally sure if you didn't want the lead for yourself," she admitted.

"No, it's cool," he assured her quickly. "I'm graduating this year and my parents would kill me if I didn't ace my classes because I was too busy with the team. I wanted the second lead – and I've got it."

Rachel blushed lightly. She wasn't sure if Justin was sincere but his words calmed her down slightly. Shelby's decisions concerning the team were based not only on the voice but also general wow factor and personality; it was no mystery that Rachel wasn't known for being the most popular choice when it came to her relations with other people. Justin seemed to be just as good choice as her.

"Second thing," Shelby interrupted her considerations. "Auditions. There are seventeen people here now. Depending on the outcome of the internal re-auditions, we'll need eight to nine new members to keep up the numbers and the dynamics of the dancing routines. Rachel told me she'd received her portion of files already, so we'll hold the auditions next Saturday. Any questions?"

They shook their heads. Nodding in content, Shelby continued:

"In meantime we'll focus on Invitationals. We need to get back to work as soon as possible. Invitationals are in four weeks and I want to show Rachel off to the local clubs"

Rachel straightened in her chair. She caught Briana's look and the girl smiled. Instantly, Rachel remembered the last time she was in Carmel's Invitationals. It was last year and she went there with the New Directions to 'check out the competition', as Mr Schue had put it. Little did he and her old team know that Rachel went there mostly to cheer on Jesse, their 'competition' being the last thing she was thinking about. Thinking back to her excitement about the New Directions and being able to compete with her own team, Rachel was sure of one thing: if someone would have told her back then that twelve months later she would be sitting in Carmel auditorium trying to figure out the set list _with_ Vocal Adrenaline, she would have laughed the person in their face.

She grimaced; she didn't expect the day of Invitationals to go on without problems, though. Rachel was certain that if the New Directions decided to show up next month, they would make sure she knew they were there. She didn't mind, though; she only hoped Finn would be rational enough to stay out of her way. Their few summer encounters always ended in some sort of confrontation between the ex-couple or Finn and Jesse – and gave Rachel nothing but headaches. Finn was jealous of Jesse and, for some unexplainable reason, wanted her back – that much was clear. She was finally beginning to see the end of the drama in her life – another portion of trouble would be positively unnerving. The one thing that bothered her was that she had no idea how far he would go to get her back.

* * *

"How's Jesse doing in New York?" Justin asked opening the door to his house.

As they planned, they headed straight to his place to get through the files together straight after the rehearsal. Shelby kept them for less than an hour so it was still pretty early – lots of time to get the general idea about the candidates and start sorting them out.

"New York is treating him well," Rachel replied with a fond smile. "His mentor is great; helpful and quite experienced when it comes to auditions outside the school. Not that Jesse starts any so soon – he enrolled in additional acting courses to balance the musical education."

Justin whistled.

"Sounds serious," he noticed. "But – we have a more urgent matter to attend."

Rachel put down her portion of files. She waited for Justin to join her and reached for the first file. She looked at the name and the photograph, recognising one of her classmates. She went through the biographical information, then scanned her health history: she did it in an almost mechanical manner remembering those long hours she'd spent with Jesse doing exactly this.

She sighed; she could imagine being completely new to this – it would take her weeks to make the decision.

"Where did you take those people from anyway?" she asked, nodding to herself when she marked Sylvia Hernandez as 'possible'.

Justin didn't look up from his own file and answered:

"We've been doing a consistent research all past year. Plus, many of them reached out to us themselves. Jackie dug up the information details on each person."

That was new – Rachel had no idea Jackie was helping the team. The boy next to her must've felt her surprise:

"Since we let her hang out with us, attend some rehearsals and each lunch with the team, we figured that she could be of some help here. That girl has some skills," he explained. "It took her less than a week."

Rachel knew it was true; she still remembered how Jackie managed to gather the basic info on Rachel on her first day in Carmel last year. That's why she just nodded her head.

"I'll be sure to pass on to her that you're happy with her service," Rachel laughed.

She went on to read another file – after a quick glance she threw it to the 'rejected' pile which grew steadily; Justin eliminated already three people. Another candidate was a guy, Anthony Jones – Rachel didn't know him but it was understandable since he was apparently a sophomore. She looked closely at the attached photograph; Anthony was tall and slim but well-built. He looked like someone who would be able to keep up with the choreography and do some heavy lifting if necessary. She flipped the page and learned that he was taking dancing lessons for four years. She would see if it was enough in the audition, she decided.

An hour later Rachel couldn't help but feel amazed – most of the people she'd read about were more than good in singing, dancing or both. They seemed to be serious about show choirs and really eager to join the club.

It was something totally different than in McKinley. Mr Schue accepted anyone who auditioned. _If_ there was someone brave enough to acknowledge the New Directions openly, that is. It was always like that – to Finn, Quinn and Noah their social status was more important than the club. In Carmel, _being_ in Vocal Adrenaline was an honour. Rachel could finally work with people who appreciated her vast talents and were just as devoted to the art as she was.

It really was a dream come true.

"I'm done with my part," Rachel announced putting the last file on the 'audition' pile. "Angelina Cransen, junior, high F caught on tape. And that's it."

Justin remained silent for a few seconds before closing his own file and throwing it into the 'rejected' area. He looked at the clock and sighed.

"It took longer than I thought... but it's fine. We have only four more people," he stood up and took out one thick file. He opened it and passed to Rachel. "Those are the people from other teams that we consider worth taking into consideration."

With certain hesitation, Rachel took the offered documents and frowned. She never was a fan of poaching, believing that stealing performers from one team to another was simply a low move. She chuckled to herself. There it was – a proof that she didn't have to agree with everything that Vocal Adrenaline did to achieve success.

"Come on, Berry. It's just the way we do it in Carmel," Justin rolled his eyes, reading through her without problems.

It wouldn't harm anyone to have a quick glance at the names, right? Rachel thought to herself, looking at the first two names name. She didn't recognise them; the New Direction never faced the local clubs that the two people came from.

"These people are different," Justin explained while she was reading. "With Carmel students, all we do is choose a bunch of them on the basis of the application forms and put up the list in the hallway. But them," Justin gestured to the unknown names. "All of them are a must picked out by Shelby herself. We meet with each of them and voice an offer with a sensible bribe if necessary."

Rachel sighed. She turned the page and raised her eyebrows at the familiar name.

"Blaine Anderson?" she read out. "There's no way he's going to jump ships."

"What makes you so sure?" Justin asked slightly surprised at her clear conviction.

"For one, he'd refused you in the previous years. Besides, I know him and I know that he wouldn't leave Dalton," Rachel looked at Justin. "Second, my friend dates him and has just transferred to Dalton to be with him. Nothing will make Blaine join Vocal Adrenaline."

"Either way," Justin shrugged not impressed by her reasoning. "We need to make an offer despite possible arguments against. You can talk to him since you know him. In fact, I think the last name will also sound _very_ familiar to you and that's why it's in your hands as well."

Feeling sudden tension in her shoulders, Rachel looked questioningly at Justin who only smirked and showed her to turn the last page. Taking a deep breath – and swearing to herself to kill her mother – Rachel pulled out the last piece of paper and read the name.

Over her dead body was she going to accept anyone from McKinley into _her_ team.

* * *

 **As promised, I'm back!**

 **What do you think?**

 **Jesse's gone, Rachel discovers her newly acquired popularity, she needs to find her own place in Vocal Adrenaline... There's a lot coming up in the future!**

 **-s.**

 **Oh, BTW, thanks to all the people who wished me good luck with my thesis – I'm one step closer from my degree in sociolinguistics ^^**


	2. Meeting

**Chatper 2: Meeting**

 **Rachel's POV**

On a Saturday morning, Rachel was sitting comfortably in her favourite cafe in Lima, waiting for her old teammate who her new team was clearly interested in. She opened the file again and skimmed through the most basic info, not believing that it was his name on the list. Not that he wasn't talented enough – maybe he was. What Rachel couldn't believe was that he was even there, considering his present allegiance. When she had spotted the familiar name at Justin's place, she was mainly astonished that anyone thought it appropriate to take into consideration anyone from the New Directions. Then, after considering the case carefully, she was inclined to give it a try – or at least, talk to him herself rather than send someone other.

She felt it was personal.

"Rachel?" she heard an uncertain question.

Rachel looked up, closing the file as soon as possible. She smiled at the boy in front of her and showed him to sit down. Understandably, he looked around and frowned before taking the offered seat. Less than ten seconds later, Rachel passed him the other cup of coffee and greeted her old teammate.

She was met with a hesitant glance of Mike Chang.

"Hi, thank you for coming," she said formally. "I appreciate it very much."

Mike looked around. Then, he looked at Rachel again. Rachel suppressed a sigh. She understood the hesitation very well; they never were particularly friendly. In fact, she could barely remember exchanging few words with him over the couple of months that marked her history with the New Directions. That's why she was positively surprised when he agreed to meet her when she called earlier in the first place.

"I honestly don't know why, though," Mike Chang spoke up with hesitation. "I mean, may I ask why the call?"

Rachel took a deep breath and decided there was no good way of putting her proposition forward that wouldn't sound bad or awkward or simply unbelievable. That's why she just cleared her throat and passed him the file.

"As you may well know," she started while Mike reached out for the documents and opened them. "I'm the newest lead of Vocal Adrenaline and since six of our performers graduated in June, we're holding auditions."

Mike gaped at her. Then he looked down on the papers in his hands and then, again, at her. Rachel moved uncomfortably in her chair.

"Where did you get all those information?" he asked with astonishment flipping the pages marked with his name. "Why does it look like you were spying on me? Is that even legal?"

Rachel shook her head.

"No, it's not like that. Nothing there is illegally obtained; I checked it like ten times, so no worry. All it took was an hour and my friend's show choir blog."

Mike Chang blinked several times. Rachel pushed a strand of unruly hair behind her ear and pointed to one of the pages in the file.

"You have won several major awards in the state dance competition, which makes you one of the best dancers in Ohio. And I don't mean guys who can learn the choreography and do the routine properly – I mean _dancers_. And I saw you move when I was in the New Directions so..."

"Wait, Rachel," Mike interrupted her rant. He closed the file and passed it back to her. "I'm not sure I know what you are trying to achieve here."

She raised her eyebrows. She's told him just a moment before, hasn't she? Mike looked like he couldn't decide whether to stay there with her or leave the cafe without looking back. Rachel could see that her praise of his dancing skills worked a little magic and convinced him to stay a bit longer. She took her chance and smiled again.

"As I've said, we're holding auditions," she said simply. "And we're looking only for the best we can get."

"You're offering me a spot in Vocal Adrenaline?"

That was much better than the reaction she anticipated; she sort of assumed that he would just laugh in her face. Instead, he looked as if he was almost considering the offer – at least, judging from his astonished but also pleased tone of voice. Mike's family didn't want him to pursue education in arts, which might've been a potential trouble but it might've as well depend on the possible encouragement from Shelby. Leave it to Shelby, and she would convert Satan himself. The question was, whether Rachel wanted her mother to be that persuasive.

"No," she stated calmly. "I'm here only to advertise the possibility of an _audition_. Vocal Adrenaline is highly selective; we don't accept just anyone," she added making a clear implication to some other glee club they were both familiar with, which Mike grasped immediately. "But we know how to appreciate talent."

"But I don't sing," he reminded her in a matter-of-factly tone.

Rachel waved her hand nonchalantly.

"It doesn't matter," she assured him. "Me and my male lead sing. The rest does backups and dances."

Mike was silent for a couple of minutes. She gave him the time, herself trying to figure out how to handle the rest of the conversation. It went further than she had anticipated in the very beginning. She considered Mike's thoughtful face in silence. He was looking at the file drinking his coffee slowly to gain some additional time but he didn't look outraged or hateful. Despite his clear interest, however, Rachel wasn't sure he would budge; somehow, she was certain that all she would hear from him was a polite but firm 'no'.

Rachel smiled slightly. It was obvious that Mike appreciated the offer – Vocal Adrenaline had best singers in the country, true, but they were also famous for their routines. Mike, as a dancer, was surely flattered that someone like them noticed him and voiced their interest; Rachel didn't need to know Mike to _get it_ – his dancing was her singing. The mere chance of getting to know their opinion on him was tempting.

So she wasn't surprised to hear his next question:

"How binding is this audition? I mean, what if I come to this audition and pass it," he asked carefully and slowly, as if thinking about every word before it leaves his mouth. "But change my mind?"

"Nothing," she promised. "I cross you out, you go home. You can trust me on that. No complications or bad blood."

She looked at the time and sighed – she was late for the dinner with her dads. She pulled out a piece of paper with the necessary details about the audition and passed it to Mike, saying:

"Listen, I know that the New Directions is your club and that your loyalty lays there. I'm not going to convince you otherwise because I know the feeling. It was hard for me to say goodbye, believe it or not: I loved being part of that team and the way you all seemed to accept me. But now I'm not going to lie: the only reason I'm here telling you this is that I have a three-pages-long list of names of potential candidates and you were one of the few names that I was acknowledged with. So, whether you want to come to Carmel just to _know_ if you are good enough, or for the real thing, no one is going to judge you – the least of all, me. Honestly? I never particularly liked you simply because I never got to know you other than in rehearsals. You were neutral – neither a bully nor the one to interfere in any way."

Mike avoided her eyes as she was talking. Rachel's mood fell slightly at the memories of her past high school experience but she wasn't telling all this to make Mike Change angry, embarrassed or uncomfortable. She was stating the facts. Her life wouldn't change whether he would transfer schools or stayed where he was, in Lima. She never meant to become his friend. But he _was_ on the freaking list and it seemed like a lot better idea to talk to him on her own rather than leaving it to Shelby or Justin.

"So this offer..." Mike started.

"Is just a formality," Rachel explained keeping her voice flat. "To say that there are people who can showcase your talent in much more effective ways than the New Directions. No one, me especially, expects you to show up. We're mortal enemies, after all," she added dryly, thinking of how unfair that sounded. The New Directions and Vocal Adrenaline wouldn't be in the state of such an enormous conflict if it wasn't for the stupid prejudices that McKinley held towards Jesse and _Jesse's_ stupid behaviour last year.

Feeling that the imminent end of the conversation was approaching quickly, she stood up and gathered her belongings in silence. She was halfway through the cafe when she heard her name being called again. She turned around and looked questioningly at her ex-teammate. Mike Chang stood up from his chair and approached her. She had no idea what was in his head but smiled when she heard his next words:

"I will think about it," he said. "I mean, I won't change teams but I will consider coming to the audition if you say it a no-strings-attached deal. Just... how private it would be?"

"Vocal Adrenaline will not leak out the list, but if there's someone who recognises you, it's on you."

Mike gulped and she could see the hesitance in his eyes. If the New Directions found out about his audition, they would be likely to confront him and that would end up badly. It was up to Mike to handle it or not.

She nodded her head in a silent goodbye and turned around again but Mike touched her arm, stopping her once more.

"Something else?" she asked politely, thinking how her dad would be angry about her late arrival.

"Yeah, about that thing you've said, me being neutral," Mike winced and scratched the back of his head. "I can't speak for the rest, but _I_ 'm sorry we've put you through it."

Rachel froze. Honestly, she didn't know what to say; it was the first time any one them apologised directly – she didn't count Kurt because he was her friend now. Even Mercedes didn't manage to get the words through her throat. Mike was the first member of the New Directions who said he was sorry for treating her the way they were without any reason. She felt her throat go dry when she nodded curtly.

"Apologies accepted," she smiled forcefully. "Besides, it turned out well for me now; I lead the best show choir in the country, after all, right?"

Mike nodded his head and, finally, left her alone. Rachel took another deep breath before exiting the cafe after him. She ran up to her car and jumped in, trying not to get too wet because of the small deluge people called 'rain'. She hated bad weather; she wondered if the weather in New York was any different. Her hands itched to type another message to Jesse but she forced her fingers to grab her car keys instead; she didn't want to seem desperate, after all. And besides, she had a Skype date scheduled with Jesse for the evening. She would manage those few hours until she sees him.

On her way home, she hummed happily along the lines of her favourite songs. She couldn't stop the grin that appeared on her face when the next single hit the speakers; it was recorded by Jesse himself and his voice filled the room of the Range Rover. She recognised the particular piece immediately, especially that it was recorded in such a way to give her chance to join him in between lines that he omitted on purpose. She was finishing the last note when she pulled up in front of her home.

Groaning at the miserable weather, she jumped out of her car and stormed inside the building.

"Rachel? Is that you?" she heard from the living room.

She called out in confirmation and quickly shed off her soaked coat. Fall in Ohio was the worst. When Jesse was in Lima, or she in Akron, she would spend such horrible afternoons with him in their rooms, singing jolly songs to make the miserable moody atmosphere disappear. Rachel smiled to herself sadly; if it only was that simple. She missed him more than she was ready to admit; she knew that saying goodbye to her best friend would be hard – but telling goodbye to her best friend who happened to be her soulmate was simply insufferable. She wondered if Jesse was thinking the same.

Just as she entered the living room to be greeted by Hiram, her phone buzzed against her leg. She quickly pulled it out and grinned at the name displayed on the screen.

 _Miss you._

Biting her lip, Rachel typed the reply straight away and pushed send. She noticed that Hiram was observing her with an affectionate smile.

"Tell Jesse we say hi," Hiram kissed her temple. Rachel nodded her head, not even trying to figure out how he knew who she was texting; her showface tended to drop off her face whenever Jesse was concerned.

"I will," she promised. "What's for dinner? I'm famished."

She followed Hiram into the kitchen where Leroy was finishing up the soup. Her other dad laughed when Rachel hauled herself at him and hugged.

"Gosh, I missed being home," she fell to her chair, looking around the kitchen. "You don't plan on turning my room into some sort of storage room or something, right?"

The two men glanced at each other and then at Rachel, who only shrugged.

"I know I've been here most of the summer, but I won't be able to come over every weekend now," she reminded them. "So, just so you know: I love my room. And you don't need a private gym hall no matter what your favourite magazine says."

They laughed. Rachel picked up her phone when it vibrated again. Greedily, she pushed the button and sighed reading Jesse's message:

 _Raining you say? I know what would make it better – shame I'm not with you._

 _I need to learn how to deal with weather on my own, I suppose_. She smiled.

 _I have afternoon classes in ten minutes. Don't go anywhere near Hudson while you're in Lima. Love you._

She smirked despite her disappointment at his soon withdrawal.

 _I have some self-respect left, Jesse. Skype in few?_

 _Can't wait._

"Dinner's ready, Rachel. Put the phone down, if you can, please."

Quickly shoving her phone down her pocket, Rachel looked up and reached out to take the plate offered by Leroy. She sniffed with an angelic expression. She missed her dads, but their cooking was even better.

"Someone's hungry," Hiram noticed jokingly. "Isn't Shelby feeding you enough?"

"She didn't put you on any sort of diet, did she?" Leroy asked with suspicion. "To improve your performance or some other nonsense?"

Rachel swallowed her first spoon of the crème and shook her head vigorously.

"No worries, it's just I'm famished after the rehearsal and the drive here," she assured Leroy. He still wasn't Shelby's biggest fan despite Rachel's fervent assertions that living with her mother was great. On the other hand, Rachel suspected it might have been why he didn't like her too much in fact. "I'm cooking mostly, she doesn't have time."

Leroy didn't seem happy at that revelation but Hiram was quicker to ask another question.

"How was the first week of school?"

Rachel's mood changed completely; she abandoned her worries about Leroy's hostility towards Shelby and smiled widely.

"It's been totally amazing," she answered with excitement. "Lately I realised how occupied I was last year... you know, with rehearsals, catching up and preparations. With Jesse and his feelings – I was so busy I never managed to slow down and appreciate my new situation."

Hiram chuckled.

"I mean," Rachel continued enthusiastically. "I have a bunch of great friends, the scariest teacher in Carmel tells me I'm smart, people I had no idea exist call my name in the hall, compliment me and invite to parties."

"Oh really?" Leroy repeated. "Parties?"

"Not that I'm going to attend any of them," Rachel assured them quickly. "Shelby would rather lock me up than allow go somewhere without a trusted friend to tag along. But! Apparently, since I took over Vocal Adrenaline, I became the _it_ girl. I mean, I had no idea that many people knew my name. Everyone seems to, you know, like me. And I know that it's not a completely new – I was recognizable last year but I was so focused on Vocal Adrenaline that I never got a chance to indulge myself in this."

Hiram and Leroy exchanged looks.

"And by everyone you mean..." Hiram prompted.

"Everyone. Jocks, cheerleaders, nerds, you name them."

"Boys?"

Rachel frowned. She stopped eating and threw her dads curious look before she understood what they were trying to imply. She folded her arms across her chest and grimaced.

"I'm dating Jesse," she reminded them coldly.

Leroy grunted.

"We know, honey, but Jesse's out of town and..."

"No," she protested firmly, not even willing to listen to that. She was the most aware of the painful fact that Jesse was two states away. "I love Jesse. I would never look at anyone while he's away. How can you even think so?"

"We're not thinking anything, sweetie," Leroy jumped to assure her. "We just want you to remember this when someone other shows interest. I'm sure someone will, eventually, and the last thing we want is for you to try to seek consolation with someone since Jesse is not there."

Oh, Rachel felt her cheeks turn red. She understood her dads' concerns and it tugged at her heart but she didn't like the way it sounded – as if they assumed she would just...

"I'm not going to look at anyone else," she said finally. "Really, dad, daddy. I don't care that Jesse's in New York; he could be in Alaska for all that matters – I will never do anything to hurt him."

Hiram lifted the corner of his mouth and planted a soft kiss on her temple. Relieved that the awkward interrogation was over, she excused herself.

* * *

"You look positively... sweaty."

Jesse laughed at her comment and ran his hands through his locks.

"Just got back from the classes," he explained. "I had to run and jump all over the hall for my intro to drama classes. Exploring emotions and opening up, the usual stuff."

Rachel irked an eyebrow at those words. She chuckled.

"You're paying tons of money so that they would make you jump all over the room?"

Jesse laughed.

"Don't forget that I have scholarship, Rach. They pay themselves for me to run all over the place."

Rachel grinned at the screen.

"You love it, don't you?"

"The best week of my life so far," Jesse grinned back at her. Rachel snorted and Jesse corrected himself quickly: "Apart from the time I've spent with you because I love you and every day with you is a dream come true."

Rachel chuckled satisfied in response.

"That's better," she admitted.

"How was your week?" Jesse leaned in and propped his chin on his hand. Rachel put down her laptop on the bed and went to lie down beside it.

"Long," to prove her words, she yawned.

Jesse nodded his head with understanding.

"Sure, how are the files going?"

Rachel sighed. She had told Jesse all about it the first day; he suggested helping her but Rachel had to say no. She needed to do it alone if she wanted to prove everyone she deserved the spot as lead. Proving it to others, however, was as important to her as proving herself that she was good enough to take over Jesse's legacy.

"Slow. I never realised it would be so hard to do on my own," she admitted. "When I helped you, it seemed more like fun."

Jesse chuckled.

"Yeah, because you were not the one to make decisions. So what d'you got for me?"

She chuckled at the way he seemed to be so eager to help her. She knew he missed Vocal Adrenaline – it used to be his team, after all. Even if he wasn't a part of it anymore, formally, he would always be connected to the place. She gave him an excuse – a _viable reason_ , as he called it himself – to prolong the connection even more.

Rachel shrugged. She managed to get it over with almost on her own until now. She supposed, she could let Jesse share his opinion on a person or two.

"I've the list of people that I've selected with Justin. Then I went through most of them at home again and divided those certain and those in-between, just like you taught me," she said. "We've rejected those with obvious health issues, any sort of nasty background and left those with decent grades and some sort of special skills."

"What about the wild card? You know, people from other teams?"

Rachel's memory went back to her meeting with Mike. She decided to leave out the juicy bits for later.

"I have..." she glanced down at the list in her hands. "Four names of those most promising. I was actually thinking about..."

She was interrupted by the sound of a loud thud and a nasty curse. Rachel froze when she realised that the sounds were definitely not coming from her house and that the voice insulting some 'fucking chair' belonged to a girl. Her heart stopped when Jesse turned alarmed in the direction of his door and then glanced back at the screen and opened the mouth. She didn't let him even start, though.

"Jesse, who was that?" she asked coldly, trying to remain relatively calm outside but inside, she was furious.

There she was, assuring her dads that she would never look at anyone else while Jesse was in New York and there _he_ was, having some skank in his apartment not longer than two weeks since he's moved in.

"Jesse, where the hell did you put my dress from last night?" the same voice called from nearby.

Her heart not only stopped working but her whole body just froze.

"Rach, it's just..." Jesse started looking at her with worry.

She was about to shut the computer down when the skank appeared in the view. Rachel felt like dying when she recognized the long legs and dyed blonde hair.

"Ups, I didn't know you were talking," Rebecca St. James giggled. She made big eyes when she recognised Rachel's face on the screen. "Hi, Rachel."

And she went on to giggling again while Rachel tried not to faint from relief. She felt so stupid about jumping to conclusions and Jesse was sure to get back at her for that.

"Hi, Becks," Rachel managed to get out of herself nervously. "Jesse didn't tell me you were in New York."

"Because I had no idea either," Jesse threw sarcastically in the direction of his sister who rolled her eyes. He turned to look at Rachel. "She just barged in last night. I was going to tell you as soon as we were finished with the auditions."

"Oh. I'm sorry I just thought..."

Jesse smiled but rolled his eyes upon hearing her words.

"I know what you thought and how many times do I have to tell you that you can sleep peacefully?"

"Three to four times a day?" she replied jokingly, hoping to unload the tension. "I'm sorry, it's just..."

Becca groaned. She pushed Jesse aside and grabbed his laptop. Her face filled up the screen.

"Rachel, bun," she said pointedly. From the moving background, Rachel deduced that Becca moved across the room to jump onto Jesse's bed. "Don't get your nerves up because of him. My brother has totally lost it for you and when a St. James reaches this stage, there's no coming back. It runs in the family."

Rachel frowned, not really sure where this was going. She heard Jesse groan in the background but Becca shut him off somehow. She focused on the screen instead.

"I mean, look at my parents. My father has a mile-long stick shoved up his ass and my mother is biologically unable to focus for more than a few minutes on someone other than herself. My father hates children and she talked him into having _two_ of them, bun. They are like two completely different people and still they never entertained the thought of leaving each other because they are so helplessly and bizarrely well-matched."

Rachel nodded her head, feeling like her good mood returned bit after bit. She more than once wondered how Jesse's parents managed to stay out of their throats being so totally different people. But then she always saw something that would make her heart swell in adoration; like when she would notice how Jesse's dad would comment on his wife's behaviour or even try to drag her a peg or two in one second, and on the other he would look at her in silent admiration. So she could see the point of Becca's words. She briefly reminded herself that Jesse was very much alike, too, despite his fervent protests when she compared him to his father – he might've been an ass to other people but Rachel was always first in his eyes.

"So, now, stop worrying and just make sure he doesn't forget to whom he belongs to," Becca knocked at the screen three times. "And that would be you, bun."

Rachel smiled with gratitude. She needed those words like air. Becca, seeing her lightened mood, sent her a sloppy kiss and dropped the computer nonchalantly.

"Here, she's all yours again. You owe me a beer," Rachel heard her giggle the last sentence. "I'm leaving. Be back in the morning, _maybe_ , so you are free to have that Skype sex as loud as you wish, loverboy."

Rachel couldn't stop the blush forming on her face when she heard the last remark. Becca was far from being a sweet girl like her, Rachel knew, but her being so blunt about her own brother's sex life wasn't placed in her comfort zone either. She heard another thud and Jesse's face appeared in the picture again. He smiled apologetically.

"She's a bitch."

"She's your sister," Rachel admonished Jesse half-heartedly.

"And only that keeps me from strangling her sometimes," Jesse snickered and turned serious. "But she was right about me having lost it. Seriously, Rach, please don't worry."

Rachel nodded slowly. She moved on her bed and looked at the closed door of her bedroom and then back at Jesse. She grimaced.

"My dads are down the hall," she explained when he questioned her sour expression. "So I guess I wouldn't be able to pull off that loud sex she's suggested.

Jesse looked as if he was about to faint when he heard the words from her mouth. His jaw looked as if it was about to hit the floor.

"You know that you considering this alone made me totally turned on, right?" he glanced down and ran his hand through his hair.

Rachel giggled.

"Then it's a shame, I still have my dads few meters away, right," she teased him on without mercy. "Now, coming back to the auditions."

Jesse jumped into his chair.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no," he called with a hint of panic to his voice. "You don't just change the topic right now, Rach."

"Why not? I'm Rachel Berry, I'm the girl who wouldn't put out, remember?"

Jesse snorted and Rachel grinned.

"Are we talking about the same Rachel Berry? Because I remember rather vividly that you _do_."

Blushing at the comment and Jesse's suggestive tone of voice, Rachel cleared her throat. It was hard to concentrate when Jesse's eyes – even via the camera – drove into her own, making her unable to put together a logical sentence.

She sat on her bed, shaking her head and trying to focus. Jesse was in New York, there was no use reminiscing about him being there if that was going to happen no sooner that in a few weeks. Until then, she had more pressing matters to attend.

"Jesse, focus."

"I don't want to," he grumbled. "I want to kiss you."

"Jesse," she rebuffed him softly, but with a smile playing on her lips. "Auditions. I know a few names on the list."

Jesse blinked at the sudden piece of information. He opened his mouth to ask at first but then his expression hardened when he pieced the facts together.

"Who the hell picked people from the New Directions?" he barked, completely dropping his husky tone of voice. "Is Shelby out of her mind?"

Rachel chuckled at Jesse's outrage.

"It's only one person from McKinley," she said. "And no one particularly unwelcome, to be honest."

"Kurt?" Jesse asked with doubt. "I don't want to offend him in any way, but Kurt is not Vocal Adrenaline material, Rach."

Not surprised at all, Rachel nodded her head. She loved Kurt and considered him to be a great singer, almost like her, but VA was a powerhouse with certain expectations that Kurt, unfortunately, failed to meet.

"You're right and I'm not talking about Kurt. Besides, he's in Dalton now, remember?" when Jesse confirmed, Rachel continued. "Remember Mike Chang? He didn't sing, but his dancing..."

Jesse raised an eyebrow at her words. He remained silent for a few seconds, clearly thinking over the candidature – finally, he nodded his head with hesitation.

"He has decent moves," Jesse admitted. "And no singing would be a plus for you. No one to challenge your position."

No wonder she loved him so much – Jesse understood her like no one else. She nodded her head in agreement and went to describe her meeting with her old teammate; Jesse listened to her words and seemed to approve of her tactics: being blunt but not desperate.

"Do you think he will come?" her boyfriend wondered out loud.

"I have no idea. I don't know Mike that well, to be honest. But I assured him that he wouldn't be forced to decide anything if he decides to show."

Her telephone rang. Rachel excused herself and picked her cell up looking at the screen.

"It's Kurt," she told Jesse. "We're meeting tomorrow morning. I'll be right back."

She turned her back and answered the call.

"Hi, Kurt, what's..."

"What the hell do you mean you want Blaine in Vocal Adrenaline?"

Busted. Again. Rachel groaned loudly and tightened the grip on her phone.

"Kurt, it's not what it looks like," she said calmly. "Seriously, I don't want Blaine to join my team."

Rachel sat down on her bed and glanced at screen of her laptop. The video chat was still on but Jesse disappeared somewhere. She took a deep breath.

"You called him this morning to meet him," Kurt growled. "Blaine told me it wasn't the first time Carmel reached out to him. Stay away from my boyfriend, you... you lead-boyfriend stealing... bad, bad _woman_!"

Despite Kurt's angry tone of voice and his obvious fury, Rachel couldn't help but burst into laughter. That was the best he could come up with?

"Kurt..." she started again, trying to suppress the giggles. "I swear I don't want to steal your boyfriend."

"What?" It was Jesse's voice this time. Rachel glanced back at the screen and grinned at the total confusion painted all over Jesse's face. Kurt huffed something incoherent.

"Then why did you ask him to meet you? I will not believe that it's just a coincidence."

Rachel cleared her throat.

"It's not but I'm talking with him only out of formality."

Shortly, she explained Shelby's conditions for such cases. Kurt was silent for a few seconds and Rachel knew he didn't believe her fully. She sighed and continued to convince him:

"Ask Blaine yourself," she said. "Jesse or Giselle surely must've talked to Blaine in the past and he still had the right to refuse. We both know that he'd refuse this time as well, Kurt. I'm not even going to pursue any action apart from giving him the date and place."

"Hey, what are you talking about?" Jesse cut into the conversation again. Rachel scowled at him warningly. Luckily, Kurt had no chance to hear him. "You have to get him into the team, Rach."

Rachel ignored Jesse and focused on her talk with Kurt. Her friend murmured something under his breath.

"Let's just say I believe you," he said, obviously not believing her. "In that case, can I bring him tomorrow to Lima Bean without you jumping out with anything?"

"No problem," she assured him. "Listen, Kurt. I have Jesse on Skype so if I can call you later..."

"Sure," Kurt replied. He sounded a bit better now. "Say hi to him."

Rachel murmured something and disconnected. Slowly, adopting her sweetest smile, she turned again to the screen and fluttered her eyelashes.

"Don't you even try distracting me," Jesse barked. "What do you mean you are not going for Blaine Anderson? You need him, whether you like it or nor, Rachel."

"Oh, so we're on the full name basis now?" Rachel smirked. "Come on, Jesse, I don't need Blaine to get my own National title."

Jesse snorted.

"Maybe you don't need him but the Warblers are the second strongest team in Ohio. Their loss is your gain."

Oh. Rachel hit her head against the desk. Jesse was right bur she couldn't just do that to Kurt. He would never forgive her – and, besides, Blaine would not agree for nothing in the world. But she will never know if she doesn't try, huh?

No, she scolded herself. She could do it – win Nationals – without Blaine. Jesse had to simply believe in her.

"You sound as if you don't think I can do it," she crossed her eyes, deeply offended. "Thank you for your strong faith in me, my dear boyfriend."

Her sarcasm hit Jesse's face.

"Rach, of course I believe in you," he promised. "I'm just trying to show you a broader perspective. Please, don't be mad."

"You're lucky," Rachel murmured. "I can't stay angry at you. And I don't need Blaine the Warbler for anything. I have an amazing team, my genius coach-mother and my voice. Plus, I thought we've established this once and for all in New York, Jesse: I am a better singer than you. So if I can beat Jesse St. James, then I can do pretty much anything."

Jesse laughed at her words. He stood up from his chair. Biting her lip, Rachel watched like Jesse took off his T-shirt and threw it to the side. Then, he grabbed a towel and a pair of pants he's usually sleeps in. Finally, he returned to the computer but didn't sit down; instead, he leaned against the desk and grimaced.

"I need to take that shower, Rach," he said apologetically. "I'm totally exhausted. Can we talk tomorrow?"

Rachel's face fell. She knew Jesse was probably tired after the whole day of classes but she waited a pretty long time to see him (even on the screen). They were completely busy, both of them: Jesse with his orientation, trying to adjust to his new school, new people and the new _everything_ while she spent most of the past week going through the candidates' files, her re-auditions (which she conquered like always) and trying to figure out the set list for Invitationals. She hoped to be able to devote this weekend to Jesse. That's why she couldn't stop her smile from disappearing completely off her face at hearing his words.

"Um, yeah, sure."

"I miss you, too," Jesse told her with serious expression. "So freaking much."

Rachel nodded her head. She missed him, too.

Jesse straightened his back but didn't go away. He glanced back at the door to his bathroom and sighed.

"I know," he turned to look at her again with a small smile. "How about I take that shower, come back here as soon as I can and we will watch some movie together?"

She almost laughed with relief.

"I'd love that."

"But," Jesse threw warningly before he disappeared. "I can't promise I won't pass out in the middle. If I do, you won't be mad?"

"It's enough if you stay with me a bit longer," she assured him.

* * *

 **Jesse's POV**

Jesse woke up at the sound of a loud thud. His head snapped upwards and he yawned, swearing loudly. Looking around, he saw that his computer was still turned on and his phone was resting neglected on the pillow. He grabbed it and checked the time; it was seven thirty. According to the log record, Rach ended the call at eleven. He wouldn't remember that since he really passed out somewhere in the middle of the movie they've been watching.

He was so freaking tired all week - the classes and after-school activities made him almost constantly occupied. plus, he spent most of his evenings trying to socialise with people from Julliard. He wasn't going to become everyone's friend, of course, but finding the right people who would help him in the future was the first thing he was taught by his father many years ago - a good network of useful contacts could open almost every door. His father was many things but no one could refuse him the skill to maneuver among crowds.

Unfortunately, his busy schedule made it harder for him and Rachel to keep in touch as much as they would. It wasn't only his fault, of course - Shelby would always made sure that the entire team wasn't lazying around during the first two weeks of school; the re-auditions, sorting out audition candidates, and initial Invitational preparations made the beginning of the school year especially unbearable. It was Shelby's test of stress-handling after the summer break. Those who weren't able to keep up were automatically out of the team.

All in all, apart from occasional texts and calls, Jesse and Rachel were struggling to keep up with each other until their respective schedules would clear out. Jesse knew that Rachel recognized it as a temporary difficulty - besides she was most often the one to hang up on him. That was why he was partially relaxed, knowing that Rachel wouldn't give him a hard time or start imagining that he was trying to keep her arm's length or some other foolish fear brought about by her insecurities. They were doing well despite that.

But nothing of that made Jesse miss her any less. Maybe Jesse was busy, maybe he barely had time to get a proper meal at the end of the day, maybe all these new people were interesting or possibly helpful - maybe. But as long as Rachel wasn't there to share it with him, it felt only half as good as it should. He grew accustomed to share almost everything with his best friend when he was younger - Rach was there with him every time something good happened in his life. To be suddenly unable to drive over to Lima and take her out to go and see the movies together was a real drag.

Jesse wanted to call Rachel and apologise but realised that she was probably still asleep. Having this in mind, he quickly typed her a text and sent it. The sounds from the living room grew more and more so Jesse crumbled off his bed and out of his room to find Becca sprayed all over his sofa.

After a quick inspection, he immediately knew that her party was a success. She was lying with her eyes closed, breathing softly, still full dressed fortunately. Jesse sighed; his sister was twenty four and there he was, babysitting her like a baby. She told him the day before that she came to New York to get some photo shoot done; despite her loose attitude towards, well, everything, Becca was pretty good in what she was doing so he had no doubts that it wasn't just some lame excuse. The problem was, she could've sent a word or two before.

"Becks, come on, go to bed," Jesse pulled her up by her hand. Becca opened her eyes and looked around but let him pull her to her feet. "I need that couch."

"Jesus, what time it is?" she asked.

"Eight in the morning," Jesse murmured, leaving her to enter the kitchen. He pulled out a glass and filled it with water. He added two aspirins and followed Becca to the guest room.

"Here," he said putting the water and pills on the nightstand. "You're gonna need that."

Becca ignored him and dropped semi-conscious on the bed sheets. She rolled on her back and groaned.

"I'm never drinking again," she whined. Jesse focused on her face for a moment and nodded his head; she wasn't totally wasted, fortunately, but the all-nighter plus alcohol must've pushed her to her limits.

Jesse chuckled.

"If someone gave me a dollar every time I hear it," he joked. "Are you going to be fine? I have to read a few chapters for tomorrow."

"Always the smartest one in the family," Becca threw with irony.

Rolling his eyes, Jesse wanted to leave her to rest but she reached out and caught his hand.

"Is everything okay with Rachel?"

"Sure it is," he chuckled at her concerns. "Seriously, Becca go to sleep. No offence, but you look like shit."

She laughed dryly.

"Believe me, I feel worse."

"Get some sleep," Jesse told her.

Becca yawned and nodded her head turning over to her side. She was out in less than five seconds. Jesse pulled a blanket over her sleeping figure. He was about to stand up when he noticed a glimmer on the finger of her left hand.

* * *

 **-s.**


	3. Calls

**Chapter 3: Calls**

 **Rachel's POV**

Rachel woke up to see a message from Jesse: a sweet apology for getting asleep on her last night. Rachel smiled to herself; she couldn't even be angry. After all, he'd warned her it might happen. Jumping out of her bed, she grabbed her cell and dialed Jesse's number.

Humming while waiting for her boyfriend to pick up, Rachel opened her closet and pulled out the blue dress she was going to wear. In meanwhile, Jesse answered the call but instead of hearing his warm greeting, Rachel was hit by a wall of poorly hidden frustration:

"You're a girl, right?"

Rachel pulled the phone away from her face to look at the speaker with astonishment. She opened her mouth but wasn't entirely sure where Jesse was heading with this... greeting.

"Unless I woke up in an alternative universe, yes I am a girl, Jesse," she replied carefully.

"So as a girl you can assure me that an expensive ring with a huge diamond on left hand doesn't necessarily have to be an engagement ring."

"Jesse, what are you talking about?" Rachel asked with astonishment. "I can wear whatever you buy me, although I'm not a great fun of ostensive jewellery, in case you were wondering."

She heard an angry murmur and another frustrated groan.

"I will remember that for sure but sadly it's not for you. Becca came back in the morning, I put her into bed and I saw a ring on her finger. I kind of freaked out because as far as I know she isn't even seeing anyone – but that really looks like a huge _engagement_ ring."

What? Rachel froze. Rebecca? Getting married? As Jesse said, she wasn't even seeing anyone; at least, no one that they knew of. If Rachel had thought Jesse had never been a relationship material, he'd learned from the best: Becca's life consisted of parties, photo shoots, catwalks and non-commitment. There was no way she would settle down unless she really needed to.

Rachel didn't know what to say. Maybe it was just a regular-however-ostensive piece of jewelry, or some practical joke on her side. But Jesse sounded seriously worried. Slowly and carefully considering every word, Rachel shared her thoughts, trying to sound as calm and as soothing as possible:

"Jesse," Rachel sighed. "It's all right, I'm sure it's just a ring. No significance, definitely not engagement."

Jesse was silent for a moment.

"Come on, Jesse," Rachel chuckled. "It's Becca. Just wait for her to wake up and talk to her then. Until then, _calm down_. Seriously, for the amount of fights with your sister, you are an annoyingly overprotective younger brother."

"I just make sure those I care about are in good shape," Jesse murmured defensively. "And, unfortunately, that list includes my careless sister."

Rachel smiled with adoration despite Jesse's anger.

"Everything's going to be fine," she assured him.

Jesse sighed and she could practically see how he puts his hand through his hair - one of his nervous ticks. She rolled her eyes and entered her small bathroom, looking around. She reached into the shower and let the water fall while waiting for it to get warm. Then, she turned to look into the mirror over the sink. She put the phone between her ear and shoulder and started unbuttoning her pink PJs shirt she was sleeping in.

"Jesse I need to get into shower," Rachel sighed. "I'm meeting Kurt and Blaine in less than hour."

"Oh," Jesse sounded disappointed. "Sure, say hi from me."

"Really?" she was surprised; Jesse never acknowledged her friendship with Kurt, claiming that she was too quick to replace him in the position of her best friend for her old teammate. "Okay."

"And remember to present a serious offer to Anderson, Rach," Jesse's voice turned serious. "Really, Rach. Disregarding your relationship with Kurt, you can't forget what's the stake here."

"I'll do what I can," Rachel threw vaguely. She didn't need to start this discussion again. "I love you. Bye bye."

"Love you, too, Rach," Jesse murmured.

* * *

Rachel entered Lima Bean for the second time this weekend. Rachel spotted her company straight away – Kurt was gushing over something while Blaine was listening to whatever he was talking about with interest, nodding his head but Rachel could see that he was mostly drinking in Kurt's face. Rachel knew that look – it was the same she was giving Jesse while pretending to listen to him which would always end up in Jesse murmuring something with fake irritation. Fake because he was the one to give her the exact same look more than often.

Seeing the same pattern, Rachel smiled to herself and tried to forget about the file in her bag.

The two boys noticed her as well and stopped their one-sided conversation.

"Oh, it's so good to see you guys!" she called.

Kurt jumped to his feet to close her in a tight embrace.

"Do anything and you're dead," he murmured straight into her ear then pulled out with the biggest smile she'd ever seen.

"Blaine," she ignored Kurt's comment. She hugged the other boy as well. "Hi."

"Hi, Rachel. How are you?"

"I am just wonderful, thank you," she replied with a genuine smile. "I missed my dads so much I couldn't help but come to Lima."

Her companions smiled in response and Rachel clapped her hands. She looked around and said:

"I'm in a dire need of caffeine. I was up late last night and this morning wasn't the most peaceful one, either. Excuse me for a bit."

She saw the two boys exchange curious glances but stayed silent until she was back with a cup of her favourite soy latte. She took a sip and sighed.

"Best coffee in Ohio," she said dreamily.

Kurt cleared his throat pointedly.

"Something happened?"

Rachel took a deep breath but only shook her head and replied vaguely:

"It's been a long week. And Jesse's sister is giving him hard time in New York."

"Wait, isn't she in LA?" Blaine asked confused.

"Long week doing what?" Kurt inquired with suspicion.

"She's visiting. It's a long story. Anyway," she tried to change the topic. "I've had to re-audition for Vocal Adrenaline."

The last piece of news caught Kurt and Blaine's attention. They exchanged quick glances and focused on her face.

"Your mother made you go through auditions again?" Kurt made sure he heard correctly.

Rachel nodded her head.

"It was a formality, really," she assured them. "Shelby cares about the quality of the team's members and each person must fight to the place at the beginning of the school year."

"That's stupid," Kurt assessed quickly. "Everyone knows you can sing, why checking it again?"

Rachel smiled at the comment and more or less direct compliment.

"What did you sing?" Blaine asked not bothering to wait for her answer as if he also thought it was too obvious to answer. Rachel thought that Blaine's understanding of such minor details made him an excellent possible teammate for her.

Shaking her head at the silly thought, Rachel took a sip of her coffee before answering.

"Well, they all know me as Rachel Berry, the Broadway diva. I wanted to show something slightly different, but, you know, at the same time sticking to my roots," she looked at them with a smile. "I asked my male lead to audition with me and we went for _Another Day_ from Rent together _._ "

Kurt frowned at the words.

"What happened with your reluctance to audition with other people, huh?" he asked partly-sarcastically referring to when she not-so-subtly turned him down last year.

Rachel blushed. That situation with Kurt was totally different – they weren't friends at that time; they were potential competitors while Justin wasn't going to put up any fight for her leading spot – she had nothing to worry about from his side. Besides, she wanted to try out their stage chemistry before they started rehearsing for real. Rolling her eyes, Rachel waved her hand.

"I don't feel threatened by anyone in Vocal Adrenaline," she explained, hoping for Kurt to swallow that hidden compliment and give up. "Everyone knows their role and Shelby is there to put them in their places if something goes wrong."

Her companions accepted the explanation without comment and Rachel relaxed.

"I've heard about this amazing new show they are putting up in the local theater in Akron next month," she changed the subject quickly. "I think we could all go and see it."

She clearly caught Kurt's interest; he straightened his back and grilled her about details and she patiently answered his every question. She really wanted them to visit her in Akron – her team and new friends were great but she also wanted to show them a glimpse of her new life as well. This show seemed to be a nice excuse to have them all over; probably even Jesse would manage to get back for the weekend.

Blaine was enthusiastic hearing that. He and Jesse hit it off almost immediately so it wasn't surprising when he nodded his head:

"Sure, we could have like a double date of something," he smiled. "I'm in."

Kurt nodded.

"Me too. Now if you excuse me, I'll be right back."

He kissed Blaine on the cheek and hurried in the direction of the bathroom. Rachel glanced back after him and, after making sure he was out of sight, she turned to look at Blaine with serious expression. The boy immediately understood the look and sighed with obvious resignation.

"Just give me the documents and let's forget about the entire idea."

Rachel smiled at the way he seemed to know the ropes already. She opened her bag and passed the file to him, saying at the same time:

"You seem to know how it works, so you know I'm required to meet you and present the offer," Rachel murmured. "Here's the time and place. If anyone asks, I tried to bribe you with a few personal favours, a nice apartment in Akron to help with the transfer for your family, SPA weekend for your mother and one-year supply of hair gel."

Blaine seemed amused at the last remark.

"Hair gel?" he repeated with a chuckle, hiding the papers in his bag. "Really?"

Rachel shrugged.

"You seem to be fond of it," Rachel threw a pointed look at his hair.

"I look like a puddle without it," Blaine answered and, looking around to make sure no one was listening, leaned in. "Can I get that hair gel if I only come to the audition?"

Rachel laughed and shook her head.

"You're either in or forget it."

Blaine opened his mouth to say something but stiffened and threw her a warning look. Less than ten seconds later, Kurt was back throwing suspicious glances at their innocent faces.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

They waved their hands.

"I was trying to picture your boyfriend with an afro," Rachel giggled.

"What?"

"I was just telling Rachel how ridiculous I look without hair gel," Blaine helped her. "I mean, the curls are everywhere."

The girl sipped her coffee. She chuckled softly at the remark.

"I love Jesse's curls," she admitted after a moment. "I'd kill him if he ever tried to get rid of them or something."

Kurt took his seat back, obviously relieved than any sort of inappropriate show choir conversations-slash-poaching discussion did not take place. Rachel let out a relieved breath when Kurt changed the topic completely; Blaine quickly caught up with him and they spent another half an hour discussing the movie that Kurt and Blaine has seen lately. Throughout the talk, Rachel forced a small smile upon her lips and tried to nod at proper times but her mind was still with the file hidden now in Blaine's bag.

If she dropped the formalities, her negligence would sooner or later see the light and Shelby would be pissed at her. She was just glad that Blaine was this understanding; not to offend Kurt but he never had to be almost solely responsible for the entire show choir and meet their expectations. Jesse was a master of dealing with those things and for the last four years she witnessed it first handed. Blaine was the lead of his team – he had some experience in these kinds of things that's why she didn't expect him to make a big deal out of it; he just understood that she had to do it and believed her that she expected nothing from him.

Jesse was going to kill her for giving up on him without a fight, Rachel was well aware of that. Part of her knew that Jesse was right and Blaine would definitely help her get another championship, and this part of her was currently continuously nagging her in her mind. The other part was focusing on the simple fact – based on her knowledge, intuition and psychic abilities – that Blaine wouldn't even consider her proposition for more than the duration of the meeting, so the attempts would have been doomed from the very beginning. Rachel sighed. Providing that he would transfer, Blaine would gain almost nothing. He was facing giving up the leading spot and his popularity in school in favour of merely _being a member_ of VA, regardless of their winning streak. Secondly, it would mean getting far from Kurt, a boy who changed schools to run from a school bully and, also, to be with him. Rachel simply couldn't do it to neither of them. Kurt was the only friend she had left in Lima.

Rachel tried to focus back on the conversation but failed. Kurt didn't even notice her silence, fortunately. Rachel looked at her phone to check the time and gasped.

"Damn, I was supposed to be on my way back to Akron by now," she stood up immediately. "Shelby asked me to help her with the set list for Invitationals and Sectionals."

Blaine blinked and Kurt finally stopped talking. Rachel collected her belongings in a hurry and quickly hugged her companions.

"Sorry, I need to go and... sorry. And I'll let you know about the show. Bye!"

Neither of them managed to get even a word out of themselves before she ran outside.

* * *

 **Jesse's POV**

Jesse was in the middle of his reading when he heard a movement from Becca's room about an hour later. He put down his text book and jumped to his feet. He found Becca in the kitchen, opening the fridge.

Becca spotted him and yawned.

"How did I get to my room?" she asked. "I thought I passed out in the living room."

"I moved you," Jesse explained curtly. "I'm expecting a guy from my classes today; he's supposed to be here soon and I didn't want him to see you like that."

"You moved an unconscious hot model from your living room?" Becca asked with a smirk. "I would definitely make you look like a freaking hero to those kids, Jesse. Seriously, you've became so boring since you started dating Rachel."

Jesse smirked at his sister logic. Slightly relaxed, he poured himself a cup of coffee and took a seat by the counter in the kitchen. Becca might've been right but the truth was, he didn't miss his old heartbreaker reputation that much. Not when Rach was everything he would ever need in a girl.

"Wait until you find someone like Rachel to see that none of your parties is better than one peaceful evening with that person," Jesse replied without thinking.

Becca rolled her eyes.

"You are seriously whipped, kid," she threw mockingly and took a sip of her own coffee.

Involuntarily, Jesse glanced at her left hand and froze when he noticed that the frustrating piece of metal was gone. Remembering Rachel's words, Jesse tried to focus – she must've slipped the ring off because she didn't need to wear it at home; she definitely wasn't _hiding_ it, right?

"When are you going back to LA?" he asked out of the sudden.

"I have a flight tomorrow, so if I could crash your guest room for another night, that's be awesome."

Jesse nodded his head.

"How are you?" he asked again. "In general, I mean. You came in late on Friday, and then spent all Saturday at work and on that party so there was no real occasion to talk."

Becca only shrugged in response.

"I'm fine I guess."

"Anything exciting happened lately?" Jesse dropped the question.

That much for keeping it calm and relaxed. He just needed to know.

Becca stiffened and it was not a good sign. She shrugged again but avoided his eyes.

"No, nothing in particular," she said looking to the side. Jesse narrowed his eyes – she was a terrible liar. She'd always been unable to hide anything from him.

"Rebecca, you can talk to me."

Jesse's sister groaned.

"About what?" she was irritated. "Come on, Jesse, what's with the stupid interrogation?"

"Stupid interrogation?" he repeated disbelievingly. "Jesus, Becks, is it a sin to be interested in my sister's life? Especially, one huge ring on her finger."

Becca paled. The guilt was painted all over her face when she looked at her hand briefly. She tried to mask it up almost immediately but failed. Jesse noticed that she wasn't even trying to make up any story. Jesse went on.

"Becks, are you engaged?"

He tried to decipher her looks, a mixture of guilt, irritation and something else he couldn't capture precisely, but failed. Becca was crazy and irresponsible but she has always been honest with him. He thought they had each other's back and now what? She was going to spend the rest of her life with _some guy_ and didn't even think to let him know? Knowing his sister, it was more than possible that the next time they would meet she'd be wearing a wedding ring.

"I can see why our parents would be the last to be informed but thank you for trusting me," he snorted sarcastically, leaving her in the kitchen alone.

He and Becca were close; despite the constant bickering and occasional pushes from one another, they were always sticking together. It remained this way for years, even regardless of Becca's difficult situation with their parents. They never hid the fact that they didn't believe Becca could achieve much in life – she flunked out of college to start working as a model. To put it lightly, her path of professional career was not warmly welcomed by her dad, which caused a number of minor fights. On the other hand, Jesse was worshiped by them as a star child; their favourite. Jesse could see how unfairly his sister was treated but never tried to take advantage of that. On the contrary, he tried to reason with his father more than once but to no avail. Becca moved out to LA as soon as it was possible and was barely showing up home unless it was necessary or Jesse asked her to. Rachel suspected that Jesse was the only thing that kept Becca around and in touch with her parents since she'd reached the age of eighteen.

He knew she was irresponsible but it wasn't bringing their parents down to size by failing few classes or not respecting their mother's dress codes at her parties. It was a freaking marriage. He knew Becca wasn't the poster baby for responsibility but this time she crossed the line.

"Jesse?" Becca knocked at the open door to his bedroom. "I'm sorry. I meant to tell you."

Jesse turned his head. He grabbed his book and ignored her. If she thought that one 'sorry' would change anything, she was in for a surprise.

"Yeah," he replied with irony. "Like you told me that you'd rather spend Christmas with some friends in Florida four years ago, leaving me alone because mom and dad went off to Brazil and uncle Greg took Francine to Chicago? Was I going to get a Christmas card this year, too?"

"Come on, you could've stayed with Rachel or something," Becca rolled her eyes.

"She's freaking Jewish, Becks," Jesse reminded her coldly. "And it's beside the point. I can't believe that you've never thought to tell me."

"Jesus, Jesse, it happened only yesterday," Becca whined. She sat next to him on his bed and nudged his side. "You _are_ the first to know."

Blinking with surprise, Jesse turned his head to his left. Becca sighed and moved so that she could place her head on his shoulder while Jesse couldn't stop the stiffness of his shoulders. Yesterday? It didn't change the fact that for months apparently she didn't think to tell him she was seeing someone in the first place.

They fell into uncomfortable silence.

"I want to meet him," Jesse announced. "You can do at least this much."

"Sure," Becks agreed immediately. She seemed truly regretful which lessened Jesse's anger slightly – but he wasn't going to show her that just yet. "We can all go out tonight for a dinner, how does it sound?"

Jesse nodded his head. He opened his mouth but was interrupted by the door bell. They both looked in that direction but it was Jesse who jumped to his feet.

"We'll talk about it later," he told his sister. "Now get out of my room, I need to study."

Becks nodded quickly and passed him on his way to the door. Without a word, she shut herself in the guest room. Shaking his head, Jesse opened the main door to greet a tall dark haired guy.

His name was Tom, Jesse met him in modern drama class that he was taking as an elective. Jesse didn't know him very well but the guy wasn't the worst specimen of future actors he had met in New York so far. In classes Jesse noticed that he was smart and quick so a potential candidate for a companion. That was why Jesse was rather happy to hear that they were assigned to work together on a scene from one of the dramas they were discussing.

Tom entered the apartment and looked around with raised brows. Jesse asked him to come over, sure that his apartment would be better to rehearse than dorms. Following Tom inside, Jesse offered him something to drink.

"Sure, black coffee, without sugar," the guy answered, still looking around. Jesse got two cups and poured the hot beverage into them, throwing a quick glance at Tom, who chose to look in his direction as well. "Man, how the hell do you manage to pay rent on this street?"

Jesse lifted a corner of his mouth at the almost disbelieving comment.

"I don't," he replied simply, passing Tom his coffee. "The place is mine."

Surprised, Tom nodded his head in silent appreciation.

"So, no tearful story about a small town boy who comes to a big town to chase his dreams and lives in a cupboard apartment, working his ass off to stay alive at the same time trying to work through the scornful college competition and eventually becoming the greatest star the world knew of?"

Jesse chuckled openly at the remark. Tom's words made Jesse like the guy even more. Indeed, he was far from being an underdog – he will never be one.

"Unless," Tom continued. "You've murdered the owner and took over his identity, apartment and bank accounts."

This time Jesse laughed.

"No, I didn't kill anyone. Too much risk of destroying my clothes. And no small town boy story either; well, perhaps, aside from the last part – I will have my share of successful roles and awards."

Tom accepted his cup of coffee and took a small sip almost immediately. Jesse leaned against a wall nearby, observing his guest.

"What about the dorms?" Tom changed the topic suddenly. "Freshmen are required to stay in dorms. What makes you so special and different from the rest of us?"

Jesse shrugged. He had everything covered.

"I have a deal with my roommate from the dorms. He's a violinist so he was fine with me not being there – he has a room to practise, and covers up for me," he explained. "He has my number if anything comes up."

"Smart."

"Yeah," he murmured. He was quite proud of himself for being able to pull his perfect plan off. "Shall we start?"

They settled on the sofa and armchair in the living room and started their work. Jesse had his part memorised already, Tom needed a few minutes to prepare his lines but other than that, their work went on smoothly. Few times, Jesse tried to listen to any sounds coming from Becca's room but there was nothing. She was probably asleep again, he thought, while going over some harder parts together.

"Here," Tom pointed to Jesse's character's last words, which brought his attention back to their work. "Try to make it ironic, it'll change the interpretation slightly and give us more floor to support our version."

Jesse nodded in agreement and made a note on the margin. Unlike Jesse, who took up drama classes as electives to complement his vocal education, Tom was majoring in theatre. That was why Jesse was willing to follow his instructions as long as they seemed reasonable and practical. In return, Tom was first to ask for help with vocal exercises. Truly, a match made in heaven. The two of them could do well in terms of school as long as they stuck together.

They spent another hour mastering the piece before Tom leaned against the back of the sofa and stopped Jesse.

"Wait," he waved his hand. "I'm tired. Let's take a break, huh."

Although it wasn't what Jesse had in mind, he only shrugged in response.

"No problem. I'm going to order some pizza. Want something?"

Tom shook his head.

"No. My girl's cooking tonight. Don't want to spoil my appetite, you know."

"I'd kill for my Rachel's bean salad," Jesse told Tom truthfully. At the mere thought of Rachel dressed in her adorable pink apron, dancing around Shelby's kitchen and humming to the melody in the speakers, Jesse felt homesick.

He grabbed his phone and dialled the number to one of the local pizza places. When he returned to the room, he saw that Tom was standing by one of the shelves, looking at the framed pictures that Rachel had prepared for him before he left. Jesse smiled to himself when he remembered how she specifically told him to place the pictures in a very visible place in the apartment so that no one could have doubts about her rightful place in Jesse's life.

"That's your girl?" Tom's question brought Jesse back to reality. The boy picked up one of the frames and gestured to Rachel's smiling face. "She's hot."

Despite the fact that the evaluating stare that Tom gave his girlfriend irritated him slightly, Jesse smirked at something different – Rach has always been complaining about her nose, flat chest and her wide lips (which were constantly following him in his dreams), and there she was; getting a quick honest and totally true evaluation from the guy that had never seen her before in his life.

Smiling proudly to himself, Jesse nodded his head.

"Yeah, that's Rach. She's still in school in Ohio."

Tom whistled, causing Jesse to wince.

"School as in high school? You two are still together?" he asked with a reasonable dose of uncertainty. "My brother was dating a girl his senior year, great love and other BS. They split after a week because she got totally jealous, making up stories in her head, until they both had enough. My brother told me that in retrospective, he would've dumped her before the end of the summer."

"Well," Jesse cocked his eyebrow. "That's not the first time people tried to give me this particular piece of advice."

Tom nodded his head.

"Assuming from that glare, you're not going to take it," he noticed. "Which makes me wonder that you two are either hopelessly in love, or..."

Tom was interrupted by the sound of the door opening and soon after, Becks walked out of the guest room. Much to Jesse's irritation, she chose to march into the living room, grab a glass of water and nonchalantly lean against the counter awaiting their reactions.

"Or."

Only after a second did Jesse realise that Tom's words meant to complete his previous guesses. He was looking at Becks with a smirk, as if he had figured out everything just fine. Becks frowned when Tom snorted pointedly and threw Jesse a confused glance.

"Do I have something on my face?" she asked.

Jesse shook his head. He approached Tom and pointed at Becks.

"That, Mr I-Know-It-All, is my sister," he explained with a roll of his eyes.

In a matter of seconds, Tom's expression turned from satisfied to confused and finally consternated. When Becca understood the weird behaviour the two boys in front of her exhibited, her jaw hit the floor.

"You kidding me?" she called. "Ew."

She put down her glass and clapped her hands, looking at Jesse.

"I called Anthony. We're up for eight in Ritz."

* * *

 **Rachel's POV**

After coming back from Lima, Rachel found herself closed up in her bedroom while Shelby was on the phone having a conference call with someone from the school board and the team's booster club. She was apparently outlining their rehearsal schedule or Vocal Adrenaline's budget for the year – or something equally important, so Rachel decided to leave her alone in the living room, deciding to catch up on her homework instead.

From time to time, however, her thoughts escaped the course and she found herself thinking about the forthcoming auditions, Blaine and Mike Chang, and eventually the New Directions. Without her and Kurt they were two people short from being able to participate in Sectionals. In comparison to Vocal Adrenaline (who have lost two more people after the reauditions, which resulted in being eight people short from their traditional number of twenty-one members), the McKinley club was very unlikely to get any new people to join them. Even Mr Schue wasn't a miracle worker.

Rachel put down her English text book and slumped down her bed again, sighing heavily. She had mixed feelings – on one hand, she should be happy that there was one team less to beat in the competition. On the other, however, she felt sad that the New Directions would be unable to show anything more after being so disgraced by her unprofessional behaviour in Regionals.

The girl almost burst into laughter when the song on her iPod changed and the first sounds of _Bohemian Rhapsody_ started to fill up her room. She reached out to switch the song but froze halfway through when Shelby's voice called her name.

Shelby's head popped through the door.

"Sweetie, dinner's ready."

Rachel nodded and jumped to her feet. It was Sunday so Shelby was on cooking duty. Rachel dug into her portion eagerly, not for the first time noticing that Shelby became much more efficient in her vegan cooking over the past few months.

"How was Lima?" Shelby asked, watching her eat.

Rachel made a face.

"Just ask about Mike and Blaine," she told her mother. "It'll be quicker than me telling you about dads, and Jesse and Kurt and..."

"Okay, I get it," Shelby interrupted her. She took a breath and bowed her head. "How did you do with the meetings?"

Rachel put down her spoon and moved uncomfortably in her stool. Shelby frowned.

"Rachel, honey, I know that you aren't accustomed to such..."

"No it went fine," Rachel interrupted her. Shelby blinked. "I mean, I met with Mike Chang and I think he'll show up. I'm not sure if he'll accept the offer in the end, but he'll come. But Blaine..."

Rachel drifted off, letting Shelby know that what she'd been telling the woman for the past few days turned out to be true. Blaine the Warbler wasn't planning on turning his back on Dalton.

Shelby was silent for a moment. Rachel took it as her chance to resume eating. She was feeling uneasily. Not only because the two talks she had conducted or Shelby who grew to be a rather skilful in reading her moods and emotions; Jesse might've been trying to cover his concerns about Becca with frustration and annoyance at his sister behaviour but Rachel wasn't stupid.

She has observed the heavy atmosphere in the St. James' household for years; Becks had a history of being unruly and undeserving towards her parents who chose to support their youngest child when it turned out that he was more talented and driven than his older sister. If what Jesse saw was indeed an engagement ring, her parents would flip if the guy or the, apparently, secret relationship, or, finally, the circumstances of the hasty quiet proposal were in any way going to damage their name.

"Rachel, are you listening to me?"

Rachel blinked, trying to get back to Shelby.

"Rachel, you look worried," her mom noticed. "Is everything fine? Is it about Jesse?"

"Sort of. He's having..."

Her words were interrupted by the custom ringtone she'd set for Jesse. Her hand instantly snatched the device off the table. Anxious to hear an update on Becca, she quickly picked up the phone, apologising Shelby silently before running into her room.

"I'm meeting the douche tonight."

Oh, so Jesse's worries were confirmed. Becca was really getting married.

"Any name?" she asked with interest.

"'Douche' works for me," Jesse barked into the phone.

Rachel sighed heavily. If he was going to meet the guy in such a foul mood, then he shouldn't go there in the first place.

"Jesse," she admonished him softly.

"I promise not to call him douche when I meet him," Jesse swore formally. His calm facade broke down, however, with his next words: "I just don't get it. She's trying to make my dad disown her or something?"

Rachel looked out of the window.

"Maybe she's in love?" she chuckled. "Who knows, maybe she actually met someone good for her and wants to take the next step?"

"Yeah, sure," Jesse replied sarcastically. "Because she was telling me about this guy for years now and they've been planning to have three children, a house with a garden and a cat. Rach, for Christ's sake, it's my sister, she would have told me if there was something going on."

"No need to be sarcastic," Rachel pouted. "I'm trying to help here. Talk to her before you start hating on anyone."

Jesse sighed.

"I'm sorry, baby," he murmured finally. "It's just... I can't imagine my parents' reaction."

"For one, your mother will be thrilled to throw a wedding party," Rachel threw with a smirk. "I doubt she had even considered the possibility before."

Jesse laughed and Rachel relaxed knowing that his nerves were gradually disappearing. She smiled to her reflection proudly; if there was anyone able to soothe Jesse St. James's anger, it was her.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "The luck of a woman who was born to organise wedding parties to have two hopeless children. You know that you are her only hope in that department, right?"

Rachel blushed trying to calm her racing heart. They were dating for less than five months but every time Jesse would mention something like that, she couldn't stop but think that she wouldn't mind entering St. James family officially. She would kill anyone who knew about that, but she'd spent a bigger part of her summer secretly practicing her "Rachel St. James" signature on the pages of her diary.

"So this is why she's so nice to me?" Rachel smiled, trying to keep her tone light. "To make sure I relieve her from being responsible for you when the time comes? I'm glad that in case you change your mind, there's still your mother to force you."

"Pretty much so," Jesse's deep voice reached her ear. "Not that I would mind. Rachel St. James. I think I like that," Jesse tasted the sound of that and she blushed horribly. He was making her stupid fantasies seem only more real.

"For someone who's in his first relationship you're awfully quick to think about marriage," Rachel teased him.

"Rach, we've been inseparable for so long that even if you got married to someone else, I'd be living in your guest room anyway. Why torturing some poor guy."

She cleared her throat.

"I still think you'd find someone for yourself eventually," she half-joked. "Or I'd make it my life goal to get rid of you from my guest room by finding you a wife."

"Yeah, because your attempts at match-making were so successful in the past," he snickered mercilessly.

Rachel shrugged.

"If you're referring to Kate then I have to admit you're right; she's not quite for you."

"You've finally realised that, Rach," Jesse laughed.

Rachel approached the window and sat on a chair next to it. She looked at her hair resting on her shoulders and started playing with a strand of her hair.

"Jesse?" Rachel spoke up after a moment of silence, turning serious again.

"What is it, Rach?" he asked before hanging up.

Rachel bit her lip, not knowing how to put it to words. She took a deep breath and let out the words that roamed through her head for the past few days:

"It's about..." she trailed off. "We're good, right?"

She heard Jesse taking a deep breath.

"Baby, of course we are," he assured her. "I love you. What does it come from, anyway?"

Rachel stood up from her seat and started making rounds across her room.

"I miss you. I know. It gets boring every time you hear that from me."

This time, Jesse laughed at her.

"If you ever feel lonely, I'm a phone call away, you know that."

Rachel sighed.

"I'd rather wish you were a couple of streets away," she admitted with a hinge of irritation clear in her voice.

"I have an idea," Jesse murmured, instantly cutting Rachel's breath short. She knew this tone of voice; whenever she heard it, it always ended in making her blush. "We can pretend that I'm there and..."

Rachel jumped in her spot when a distinct sound of Skype filled her room. She shook her head and Jesse stopped talking on the other end of the line.

"Baby, I'll call you later, it's Kurt again," Rachel told him. "Be nice to Becca's boyfriend."

She ended the call and hastily pushed the button on the keyboard. Her smile that she greeted Kurt with faded when she saw Blaine's guilty expression next to his boyfriend's furious face and a very familiar file in his hands.

* * *

 **This chapter turned out to be more of a filler rather than a full time content piece but it's necessary to slowly outline some of the things that I'm going to focus on in Keeping Alive.**

 **As always: hope you enjoyed it and spare a couple of seconds to REVIEW! They keep me flying!**

 **-s.**


	4. There Are Worse Things I Could Do

**Chapter 4: There Are Worse Things I Could Do**

 **Jesse's POV**

Jesse entered the restaurant with Becks on his tail. The waiter led them to their table; on his way, Jesse noticed that their company was already there waiting for the sibling.

Jesse took a great deal of time to observe the guy while they were approaching. Anthony didn't notice them immediately, he was busy talking to a waitress who offered him a glass of wine to taste. Jesse raised his eyebrows when the guy took the wine glass and presented them with a professional tasting feast. Becca sighed next to him.

The next thing that Jesse saw, however, was that the waitress was very attractive and clearly interested in more than just serving her customer; her hand lingered at the man's arm and she smiled flirtatiously. Jesse glanced at Becks to see if she has seen it too, but his sister appeared to be more interested in her nails than the unfolding situation in front of her.

He was ready to give her 'fiancé' a piece of his mind when the guy himself frowned and scolded the woman rather harshly. Jesse and Becks approached Anthony just in time to hear him rebuff the woman:

"Ms., can you please start behaving like a professional waitress and button up your shirt? It's vulgar."

The woman's smile disappeared as soon as she heard it. She eyed the hand that Becca put possessively on Anthony's shoulder to alarm him about their presence. He smiled at Rebecca who sent him an equally bright smile. He jumped to his feet to greet them but before he said a word to Jesse, he turned to look at the waiter that has brought them to the table:

"Can you please appoint someone else to wait on us?"

Jesse's eyebrows almost reached his hair line. The waitress's face grew red in embarrassment when her colleague's jaw hardened at the comment.

"At once. Excuse us," the man responded immediately. He threw the woman a murderous glare and led her away.

"Jesse," Becca's voice reached Jesse.

He focused on his sister again: she was looking at him pointedly, clearly expecting him to smile. As if, Jesse snorted internally, keeping his serious face on. Becks frowned but the expression changed when Anthony took the initiative:

"Jesse," the man reached out his hand. "It's good to finally meet you. Rebecca has told me so much you."

Anthony threw him a wide smile that Jesse found hard to reciprocate at first. Only Becca's stern expression over Anthony's shoulder forced him to crack a smile and shake Anthony's hand.

"Really? I learned about you this morning."

The level of discomfort after Jesse's dry comment hit the ceiling. Anthony laughed nervously but didn't respond. He knew that Becks kept him a secret and for some reason, he didn't care.

They took their seats in an awkward silence. For a moment, Jesse wanted to immediately pick up his menu and hide behind it but Rachel's stern voice saying "behave" rang in his head. Wondering when exactly did be become so hopelessly _whipped_ to listen to Rachel's scolding even when she wasn't around, Jesse remained silent, watching simply how Anthony smiled lovingly at his sister who returned the gesture.

"So, how long do you know each other?" Jesse fired away.

He kept his voice neutral, relaxed even and Becks mouthed 'thank you' towards him. She assumed he dropped his angry attitude while Jesse simply didn't intend to make a scene in a restaurant.

Hearing his question, the couple exchanged looks and... giggled? Jesse swallowed with surprise. Becks _giggled_.

"Well, we've met two years ago," Anthony began. "It was in San Francisco."

"San Diego," Becks corrected him quickly. "I remember because it was my first big campaign for Marc."

They were interrupted by a waiter. The man smiled politely and explained that because of their previous dissatisfaction with the service, the manager offers them a bottle of red wine on the house. Anthony opened the card with wines while Rebecca picked up their interrupted conversation.

"We've started seeing each other just four or five months ago," she told Jesse with a shrug. "But we're great together and..."

Jesse lifted his finger and stopped her at once.

"You've been _seeing_ him for half a year and you didn't tell me about him?" he asked not caring about the object of their conversation overhearing or the patiently waiting waiter standing right next to them.

"Well, I didn't think it was a conversation for a phone call," Jesse's sister snorted softly and rolled her eyes. "And when I was home this summer, you've spent most the time in Lima with Rachel. I know it sounds lousy but I just couldn't find the right moment."

Jesse made a face in response to her apologetic smile.

"So, I've heard that you're planning on making a career as an actor, Jesse," Anthony's voice joined their talk. Jesse blinked; the guy was done choosing the wine and the waiter was gone. "You're studying at Julliard, right?"

Perfect; the guy knew much about him while Jesse had not clue what to think about him whatsoever. All he knew was his name and maybe the fact that he wasn't poor – the restaurant was one of the more expensive places in New York. Beck's wouldn't have to work on him.

Plus, he's gained a bit of Jesse's approval by shunning the slutty waitress. And he and Becks seemed to feel at ease in each other's presence, that much was clear from their body language and the way they were talking to each other. _Maybe_ he wasn't that bad.

 _I could give this evening a try,_ Jesse decided.

"Yeah, I'm majoring in vocal education and took up some electives in the drama department," he explained. "I'm thinking more in terms of Broadway. At least to begin with."

"Broadway," Anthony repeated, interested. He covered Becks' hand with his own. "I was just telling Rebecca the other day that I wanted to take her to Gershwin."

"I'm planning on taking my girlfriend to see _Wicked_ when she visits," Jesse nodded. "I'm sure _she_ will love it," he emphasised throwing Becks a pointed glance. She hated Broadway.

"Um," Becks interrupted him with a grimace and turned to Anthony. "I told you, I'm not interested in sitting through over two hours of singing and dancing without breaks. I've had my share of musical repertoire growing up," she added with a smirk directed at Jesse who shrugged.

"You'll thank me for it in a couple of years when you start selling my and Rachel's autographs on eBay," Jesse replied jokingly.

Anthony laughed and asked about "this Rachel." Jesse nestled on his chair and, surprisingly willingly, started talking about his girlfriend.

He felt Becks' watchful eyes on his the whole time her was talking. But when he proceeded to explain in general terms the dramatic origins of his and Rachel's relationship, she got bored, deciding to devote all her attention to the salad in front of her.

"She seems like an amazing young woman," Anthony noticed. "I say, hold on to her as long as you can."

Jesse replied with an honest smile for the first time since they met.

The evening went well. Besides talking about himself, Jesse managed to get as much of bio on Anthony as he could between the lines. As he guessed, the guy had money. His mother was a CEO in a company connected with production and development in bioengineering and nanotechnology (Jesse wasn't sure what it meant exactly, Rachel was the smart one in their relationship). Anthony was bound to inherit the position in the future but currently was finishing getting his (second) degree in economy at NYU. He liked theatre but wasn't a fanatic. He and Becks had met through some of their mutual friends and remained out of touch until they met in some charity gala to which she was invited as a part of her newest contract. They've hit it off almost immediately, their hasty decision about engagement was spontaneous, they knew, but they planned on making a quick trip to Akron as soon as Becca's schedule allowed her to take vacation.

From the sound of it, Jesse decided not to ruin their bubble just yet. He was still unconvinced about Becks' explanation about the lack of 'perfect moment' to tell him but let it go for the time being. On his way to the hotel, he expected the guy to be some sort of playboy who thought that picking up a hot model would make his friends green with envy; instead, he was met with a decent guy who clearly had something in his head.

It was enough to placate Jesse's brotherly care and irritation that he's felt in the morning. The fact that Anthony found an evening to meet Jesse despite his clearly overflowing calendar was another plus.

Knowing that he had to get up early the next day, Jesse excused himself and quickly left the restaurant, wishing the two of them a good evening. He waved to stop a cab, reaching into his jacket in search of his cell to call Rachel; he had a dire need of listening to her voice.

His phone was gone. He realised that he must've left it in Becks' bag where she'd put it before the dinner after calling Anthony to tell him they had been on their way. Having told the driver to wait, Jesse re-entered the restaurant and quickly explained that he's probably left his phone at the table. The managed smiled and led him through the busy room towards the table that he's left less than ten minutes earlier. Anthony and Becks were sitting next to each other, deep in conversation and didn't notice him at first.

Jesse was about to open his mouth and ask about his phone when he's heard Anthony's voice over the general noise:

"Do you think he's bought it?"

* * *

 **Rachel's POV**

On a Friday afternoon, almost a week after her last Skype date with Jesse, Rachel marched down the Carmel's hallways with a grim expression. She tried to smile and greet the passing strangers but her head was still in Lima with Kurt, where it's been all week.

"Rachel! Hey, Rachel, wait up!"

Jackie's voice brought Rachel back to reality. Shaking her head to get rid of thoughts concerning Kurt and his totally foolish and unreasonable behaviour, Rachel slowed down and let her friend catch up with her.

"Kurt is still giving you a hard time?" Jackie threw her an evaluating glance.

Even though Jackie has never met Kurt, she was aware of that Rachel was bothered by something all week. She didn't stop until Rachel didn't tell her everything; Rachel was sure that with this degree of stubbornness, Jackie had a bright future in journalism ahead of her.

"Yes," Rachel grumbled, hugging her English textbook even tighter. "He's so annoying!"

Kurt refused to open his mouth to her all week. He's found the file that Rachel gave to Blaine while he wasn't at the table. Even though Blaine tried to explain him that it didn't mean anything, Kurt refused to let go. Rachel apologised like a hundred times but he was stubborn not to forgive her for lying to his face. She tried to call him every day after school but he never answered. When she talked to Blaine, the only thing she learned was that Kurt was mad at him as well.

Initially, Rachel felt bad about being the cause of the rift between the couple, but after three days she realised that it wasn't her fault at all. It was Kurt who made a whole bigger deal out of that file than it was supposed to be. It wasn't that Rachel seriously tried to poach Blaine; she chose the easiest way out. She was now angry at Kurt that he couldn't just let it go and understand that she had no choice but to talk to Blaine.

Murmuring to herself, Rachel finally approached her locker. Jackie leaned against other locker next to Rachel and looked around.

"So, about this big test coming on Monday," Jackie spoke up. Rachel promised to cram with Jackie this weekend. "I know we were planning to meet on Sunday but my parents are taking me to Indiana to visit my sick grandpa or something. Do you think we could reschedule it for today? I really need your help and you have to sit through auditions tomorrow."

Rachel hesitated; she kind of wanted to spend the Friday afternoon preparing herself mentally for the mass of super talented people overflowing their auditorium and her stage the next day. Despite being completely cool on the outside, inside she was slowly starting turning blue at the mere thought of someone trying to take her position. Even though Shelby and Justin assured her that nothing of this sort would happen, she wasn't convinced. Vocal Adrenaline was a key to popularity fame. Who knew what those barbarians were capable of?

"Pretty please?" Jackie fluttered her eyes. "Look at the positives: it'll take your mind off tomorrow and I will not fail another test."

Giving in to her friend's pleading look, Rachel nodded her head.

"Fine. I just have to confirm with Shelby that she doesn't need me today."

"Oh my god, I love you!"

Their talk was interrupted by a bell. Rachel quickly stuffed her books in her locker and, together with Jackie, hurried towards Shelby's classroom. They were late. Rachel made an apologetic face and mouthed 'sorry' before taking her seat. Shelby shook her head but continued checking the list.

"You want me to wait for you after the rehearsal?" Jackie whispered from her seat next to Rachel.

"No. We're not having a rehearsal today. We're just meeting to confirm plans for tomorrow. I don't know how long would it take."

Jackie nodded and focused on the class. Rachel tried to do the same but gave up after a minute. This week was horrible, she thought. Kurt was mad at her, Shelby was even crankier than ever because of the auditions, and finally Rachel was worried about Jesse and Becks.

She's never seen him so mad before. The amount of curses and fury that he expressed over the phone put even his rage after the Funkification to shame.

When she tried to talk about Becca in the course of the week, Jesse didn't go into much of a detail about that dinner with his sister. In fact, she still had no idea what was going on. Jesse was oddly reluctant to speak about this evening to her over the phone. He's promised to fill her in when they see each other. She knew Jesse was obviously disappointed in Becks and suspicious of her relationship with the guy for some reason. But that was it.

Was this Anthony that bad for his sister? Did he treat her bad? Rachel was totally in the dark there. All Jesse has told her – or rather what she managed to gather between the lines – was that he and Becca fought pretty harshly for the first time in their lives. She had no idea what could possibly lead to this.

Rachel felt there was a bit more to it that he let her in on. It made her crazy nervous, as well; she hated when Jesse was holding something from her. She still had a vivid memories connected to the last time he's done that.

Rachel wished for this week to end finally. Maybe spending long hours with her nose in books was a good idea after all.

* * *

"Shelby, I'm home!" Rachel called into the apartment in a tired voice. She was exhausted after a three-hour study session with Jackie. True, it took her head off her problems but Jackie was hopeless when it came to remembering or understanding the simplest facts. Rachel loved Jackie with all her heart, she was her closest girl friend she had in Akron; but not for the first time, Rachel wondered how the girl managed to get through the two first years of high school.

Rachel took off her coat and put it into the closet. When her mom didn't respond to her first call, Rachel frowned and called again:

"Shelby?"

"In here," Rachel heard a voice. She smiled and went into the kitchen to see her mother with a cup of tea in her hands. But what made Rachel frown was another half-empty cup on the counter.

"Are we having guests?" she asked. Shelby rarely had visitors at home and if she did, she was sure to let Rachel know beforehand.

Shelby smiled and nodded her head, looking over Rachel's shoulder.

" _You_ have a guest, actually," Rachel heard a male voice from behind her.

Not believing her ears, she turned on her heel only to stare at the most amazing picture she's seen in weeks: Jesse was leaning against the doorframe and grinning at her like a madman. Rachel opened her mouth, closed it, and opened again, unable to get even a word out of her. Jesse wasn't supposed to be home until two weeks later but there he was, in front of her in the middle of Shelby's kitchen with his arms wide open.

"I thought that my incredibly handsome face would cause at least _some_ reaction," Jesse raised his eyebrow with amusement.

It was only then that Rachel managed to move. She dropped her bag to the floor and ran up to Jesse, jumping into his arms. She squeezed Jesse's neck, feeling how her heart raced in her chest. Jesse laughed and tightly hugged her back.

"Oh my god!" Rachel screamed in excitement. "I can't believe you're here!"

"You sound as if I wasn't going to come back never again," Jesse chuckled putting her back on the ground.

Rachel threw her arms around his neck again and pulled him closer. She closed her eyes and was ready to crush his lips against her own when she stopped remembering that they weren't alone. She turned her head and looked at Shelby pointedly over her shoulder.

"Would you mind?"

The woman let out a breath with resignation. She shook her head but grabbed her purse without protest.

"I'll be back before ten and I don't want to see Jesse here when I'm back," Shelby told them. "You have to be in shape for tomorrow."

They both nodded, exchanging a look and then glancing up to the clock on the wall. It was only seven. As soon as they were alone, Rachel threw herself at Jesse who laughed at the way she clung to his chest.

Rachel closed her eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying the way his clothes grazed her skin, the scent of his body wash and how his hands drew circles on her back leaving a trail of warmth. He was using new after wash, she noticed, not recognising the scent. But other than that, his arms felt just as they had for years and that made her stupidly happy and light.

"God, I missed you so much," Jesse murmured into her hair.

Rachel only nodded in response. Jesse pulled away from the hug and cupped her face in his hands. Then, slowly, he leaned in and kissed her. It started as a soft peck on the lips but soon it turned into something more demanding. For the past few weeks Rachel felt almost physical pain because of the inability to hold Jesse close, so when she finally got him in her arms, she couldn't help but deepen the kiss and pull at the fabric of his T-shirt. She needed to get closer.

Grinning, Rachel pushed Jesse into her room, closing the door behind her with her leg. Jesse didn't seem to complain; he attacked her lips with double force while putting his hands on her hips and pulling her as close as he could. He was equally happy to see her.

She was so focused on Jesse and his hands roaming across her body that she had no idea what was going on around them. Suddenly she realised that somehow they managed to get onto the bed; with Jesse on top of her, sucking at her neck and collarbone, and his hand moving up her right leg.

Silently, Rachel thanked every deity in the world for choosing to wear a nice pair of lace this morning. Especially that, some time later when they were both panting heavily, trying to catch a breath after the pleasant exercise, Jesse picked up that particular piece of garment from the floor and eyed it suspiciously.

"You wear _that_ everyday under these short mini skirts?"

Rachel blushed and snatched her thong out of his hand. She hid it under the pillow and Jesse grinned widely. His lips were trailing a path of subtle butterfly kisses across her shoulder.

"Not everyday," Rachel grumbled, biting her lips to keep herself from sighing. "I just happened to have them on today."

Jesse rolled his eyes.

"However that was, I was pleasantly surprised," he pecked her lips.

Rachel laughed. She moved under the sheets and laid her head on Jesse's chest, hugging it tightly. She still couldn't believe he was there, with her, in her room in Akron. The last time they spoke was the day before and Jesse was still trying to deal with his problem with Becca; he never mentioned anything about coming back home. Should she had known about it before, she would've picked him up from the airport or at least returned home sooner instead of spending time over a history textbook. Rachel sighed drinking in the warmth of Jesse's skin under her cheek; his heart was still racing just as much as her own. She closed her eyes and smiled when she felt his lips on her forehead.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were coming home?" she asked.

"I didn't really plan it," Jesse admitted hesitantly. "I just need to take care of something at home very quickly. You don't like the surprise?"

"Are you kidding me?" Rachel kissed his cheek. "I love it. But... how long are you staying?"

"For the weekend only; I'm going to talk to dad about something tomorrow. I hope it won't take up the entire day, though. I wanted to spend as much time with you as I can."

It must be about Becca, Rachel thought with understanding.

If Jesse thought he could reason with his father or seek his help with whatever was going on, then she supported him on every step.

"It's okay," she assured him truthfully. "I need to be in Carmel tomorrow anyway. The auditions start in the morning. You can take all the time you need – especially that you've earned some extra points for showing up at my place first."

Jesse smirked and kissed her again. Rachel moaned silently against his lips. Nothing in the world was better than her boyfriend kissing her and being able to touch him, pull closer and relax in the warmth of his arms. It was pure heaven.

"You are the most perfect girl I know, Rach," Jesse breathed out, looking straight into her eyes, causing the pleasant shrill running down her back. "I was a fool not to have realised sooner how amazing you are."

Rachel smiled but, at the same time, frowned at the words. His tone was way too serious to put the last remark into a simple 'pillow talk' box.

"What do you mean?" she lifted the corner of her mouth.

Jesse sighed.

"It means," he smiled. "That I should've snatched you away when I was thirteen and never let go again."

Rachel's lips formed a small 'o'. Jesse was behaving weird; she had no idea what brought about the sad reminiscing but, again, she decided to let it slip this once. Rachel was too busy being happy that he was there to think about it right now. Instead, she ran her hand through his hair and looked up with hope:

"Do you think we could go on a date tomorrow night? I haven't been on one in weeks," she whined jokingly. "This nice restaurant has opened last week and I heard they have great food – I really wanted to go but I didn't actually have anyone to take me there."

"Good that you have your handsome escort at hand then, isn't it?" Jesse smirked. "Fine, we're going on a date tomorrow."

Rachel squealed and hugged his neck, kissing him hard. Using the opportunity, Jesse turned them so that he was on top of her again, agonizingly slowly trailing a path of kisses down her chest and stomach. The first time they were in too much hurry to enjoy each other presence over the nagging need to feel each other but now, Jesse took his time, paying attention to each centimetre of her skin. Rachel giggled when he tickled her skin with his hair and tried to protest.

"Jesse, I'm exhausted. I..." she panted but he ignored her bluntly.

"Come on," he murmured huskily in between placing hot kisses on her skin. "I haven't seen you in you in weeks, Rach. I..." he touched her and she gasped. "Missed you."

* * *

They spend the last hour before Shelby was back in the living room, sitting of a sofa in front of the TV set. They didn't pay much attention to the screen, though. Rachel was lounging lazily with her head on Jesse's lap. He was stroking her hair absentmindedly while she was telling him about her day.

"And Kurt is still not talking to me," Rachel sighed with poorly hidden frustration.

"Well, you have sneaked around his back," Jesse noticed with another stroke of his hand.

Wincing, Rachel turned over to look up at his face in disbelief. Jesse was taking Kurt's side? What's next – he and Finn going out for a beer? Besides, who was the first person to sneak around her back for almost two years, Rachel huffed to herself.

"Shut up," she growled under her breath. "You are a lousy boyfriend."

Jesse let out a breath but didn't say anything more not to rile her up again. Rachel closed her eyes and gave into the pleasurable movement of his hand and soft voice that hummed over her ear.

"You better finally tell me what happened on that dinner with Anthony," Rachel murmured trying to change the topic from Kurt's irritating behaviour.

Cuddling to Jesse on the sofa, Rachel could almost hear Jesse's teeth gritting when she mentioned his sister's fiancé. Talking over the phone or Skype couldn't let her see and experience Jesse's natural reactions to this topic to this degree. Noticing how tense he's become, Rachel propped herself up and switched position to a sitting one.

"Jesse?"

He avoided her eyes. Rachel hated when he did that. She moved once more, flipping one of her legs over his lap to straddle him. In this way, she could grab Jesse's face between her hands and force him to look her in the eyes.

"Jesse, what is going on?"

"I really don't want to talk about it, Rach," her boyfriend murmured, letting his eyes fall down on her lips. Rachel shook her head and stilled his hands that started wandering about her legs, waist and the small of her back.

"Talk to me, Jesse," she told him with force. "I'm your girlfriend. I hate when you hide something from me."

Jesse's head flew backwards with an annoyed growl. Rachel blinked when she saw that; she bit her lower lip and observed the emotions playing on his face: anger, sudden regret when he realised that she was hurting because of his secrecy, and, finally, something odd that she couldn't name when he looked at her face.

She opened her mouth to ask again, or to back out from the entire discussion (she wasn't sure anymore) when he lifted his hands and swept a strand of her hair out of her face and tucked it delicately behind her ear.

"Rebecca's got herself in a mess, Rach," Jesse stated, his voice plain but she could tell the strong wave of emotions he tried to suppress, when he continued. "A mess that can definitely destroy not only hers but also my entire family's reputation."

"Reputation?" Rachel repeated without thinking.

Jesse chuckled.

"My dad's a lawyer, baby," he reminded her. "He needs to come through as trusted and respected to ensure himself clients. If the fact that his only daughter has been paid to get married to a gay to cover it up gets out in the public, he may lose all his clients. And we go down with him as well."

* * *

 **Jesse's POV**

 _They were back in his apartment; unwilling to make a scene in the restaurant, Jesse stormed out but Becks followed him and jumped after him into the same cab. Jesse was furious; the asshole and his own_ sister _tried to make a fool out of him. And they were obviously successful._

 _Jesse gritted his teeth at the words. Right after overhearing Anthony's question, Jesse made a quick decision. He's grabbed the manager's arm and stopped the man half-step. Then he stopped and shamelessly eavesdropped on the rest of their short talk before Rebecca's eyes met his furious expression._

 _He hasn't heard much but it was enough._

 _He could've seen how Anthony eyed their waiter when the man was placing food in front of them or waiting for Anthony to pick up the freaking wine. What guy would tell a flirting twenty-something girl to get lost not even knowing he's observed?_

 _Jesse wasn't an ignorant; being gay wasn't generally appreciated yet by the public opinion and high-end businessmen. The social pressure, shame, even Anthony's homophobic father who owned half of the family corporation – that Jesse could understand. What he was unable to comprehend was that anyone would come up with such a fucking idea as to pay a girl to marry the guy. And that his sister agreed._

" _Aren't you afraid that someone will find out?" he growled. "What about mom and dad, huh? Have you any idea how this may affect our family?"_

" _He's got money, Jesse. That's all," Becca stated simply._

 _Jesse froze._

" _What?" he couldn't believe he was hearing her right._

" _Before you start with the yelling fest: I know what I'm doing, Jesse. I didn't tell you because I knew you'd freak out."_

 _He almost to her face. Freak out? More like he was furious at his stupid, irresponsible sister._

" _Why the hell would you need money, Becks?" he hissed. "Disregarding the fact that you have a freaking trust fund going off next year, you make good money as a model. You sign contract after contract, for Barbra's sake."_

 _Rebecca laughed dryly and suddenly Jesse felt like there's something wrong. His sister grimaced and closed her eyes._

" _Yeah, right," she snorted._

" _What do you mean?"_

 _Rebecca paced around his small kitchen, seemingly on the verge of laughter when she threw with disdain:_

" _Our dear father cut me off, Jesse," she barked. "These's_ no _trust fund. I'm left with what I do at work – and while it's enough for now, it won't last forever. Jesse, I'm twenty four, I already feel like a grandma on backstage among those sixteen-years-old children. I need to think about my future."_

" _But getting married to some random guy?" Jesse dropped the angry tones from his voice, replacing them with slight confusion. "For money? Becks, you're young, and hot. There are a lot of guy out there whose mother wouldn't have to pay you to play their son's beards."_

 _Becca snorted again._

" _Don't you dare judging me, Jesse," she hissed. "You live in a damned bubble not even trying to look outside it. Not everyone has a free apartment in a fucking New York because their stupid parents preferred their spoiled little brat who would do anything to keep them happy."_

 _It was like a slap in the face. Jesse felt it almost physically and he had to take a few steps backwards to regain his composure. It was the first time she ever raised the issue of their parents in this context and such a serious situation._

" _I never told them to love me more than you," Jesse murmured with blank expression, repeating what they both knew very well. "I never did anything that would put you in a bad light. It's not my fault, Rebecca."_

" _But it's not my fault, either, Jesse," she mocked him. "I hate to do it but I have to. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a bunch of super cool friend who come and sing songs with them, his dream school and his little Rach who had been_ programmed _to follow you like a lost puppy for the past six years."_

 _Jesse's face froze in a displeased grimace._

" _Take that back," he hissed. He would let her talk shit about him but Rach was off limits. "I don't care about what you think of me, leave Rachel out of it."_

 _His sister snorted. She looked up and folded her arms, raising her eyebrow daringly._

" _Why would I do that, huh? It's the truth. You've found yourself the most insecure girl in Ohio only to turn her into your living compliment factory. She's been your shadow while you were sleeping around with every random girl in the city and boasting about it in front of her, not stopping even for a minute to consider why she was suddenly trying to look pretty for you and wear stupid short skirts and dresses whenever you were around? Do you know how much time she had spent in love with you before she finally realised that you would never spare her a glance?"_

* * *

 **Aaand an unlikely source spills the beans!**

 **as usual, take a minute and review! :)**

 **-s.**


	5. You've Got the Love

**Chapter 5: You've Got the Love**

 **Jesse's POV**

Jesse tried to read Rachel's face after he finished talking. He left out the last bit about Rachel's crush, simply unable to bring himself up to tell her just yet. She was not sitting on his lap anymore, having moved to rest next to him on the sofa in Shelby's apartment. She was in shock, that much was crystal clear to Jesse.

Jesse himself was fed up with his sister; she had no respect for any of them: their parents, Jesse, not even Rachel as it turned out. For a few days after those revelations, Jesse was ready to stop giving a fuck about Becca – he considered just telling his father about all of this and letting the man take care of that in his way. It would be the last straw for her, Jesse knew. Keeping up his good face was the most important thing in his father's life for many years; while Jesse was a poster baby for success so far, Becks had long ago decided to stop trying to impress them, constantly edging on the verge of complete disaster. This stunt would definitely force his father to take up harsher means of assuring discipline. Especially that, obviously, his first attempt when he cut her off backfired so spectacularly.

But to be honest, Jesse's thoughts were running in slightly different direction more than often. It wasn't everything that Becks had revealed that day.

" _Do you know why I never told Rachel when_ you _fell in love with her last year? You deserved to learn how it was like to look at someone like that without reciprocity."_

Jesse swallowed hard, reminiscing Rebecca's harsh words. Knowing that Rachel had been in love with him in the past – long before he even started developing his own feeling for her – was devastating. He felt a wave of nausea hit his stomach every time his memory would go back to these days. He could remember just what he was doing – how he was behaving – back then. It was like going through hell back when Rach was dating Hudson. His misery, jealousy and frustration at the mere sight of the moron with her were still fresh in his head.

And that was just one guy.

Every hour of this week Jesse spent trying to find some way of telling Rachel, apologising to her for being an insensitive dick, and trying to make up for it. It didn't matter that it wasn't really his fault (just like it wasn't Rachel's fault when the roles were reversed last year); Jesse felt he needed to do _something_.

 _More, I was the one to tell her to go for the quarterback last year. Funny how she quickly jumped from crying over you to making out with the most popular guy in the school._

Saying that Becks' confession about pushing Rachel into Hudson's arms last year made him _really_ angry would be a serious understatement. His own sister was responsible for something that drove him mad for months. Something that had almost destroyed their friendship.

She knew exactly what she was doing and had done that only to spite him? If she was so good and helpful friend to Rachel, she could've just told him to stop being a jerk with Rach around. If she felt so sorry for Rachel, why wouldn't she just have told him Rach was in love with him?

The last thing he has ever wanted was making Rachel uncomfortable or miserable. It was Becca's opaque sense of justice that let him be the oblivious cause of Rach's silent misery – even if seemed to be long forgotten.

A movement to his left brought Jesse back to reality. Jesse glanced sideways at Rachel who simply raised his arm and snuggled under it. Jesse smiled with love.

"I'm really trying not to judge her right now," she confessed quietly. "But at the same time, I can't simply imagine anyone being so desperate to go to such measures."

Jesse shook his head.

"Don't think about it anymore," he whispered into her ear, kissing it fleetingly. "I shouldn't have told you about it in the first place. I feel like that's all I've been thinking about for the past few days and _you_ don't need another thing on your mind either."

"No, I'm glad you have," she protested. "You seemed so worried it made me worried as well. You feel better by telling me now?"

Surprisingly, her question brought about a wave of sudden realisation – he did feel better sharing it with someone. He chuckled and placed a short kiss to her lips. She leaned in for more when the door opened and Shelby appeared with a bag in her arm.

She smiled and waved her hand when Jesse stood up, ready to leave as it was almost fifteen minutes after the "curfew" that Shelby has established. Much to his surprise, she waved her hand and told him to sit down.

"I've brought you something to eat. You haven't had any dinner and I don't suppose you've spent the last three hours cooking."

She turned to open the fridge and Jesse felt Rachel hiding her face in his arm. He suppressed a grin; earlier she had no problems basically throwing her own mother out and now she was the one not daring to look the woman in the eye. She was one of a kind, really.

"Sit down," Shelby ordered, not bothered by Rachel's reaction.

Jesse shook his head with an amused smile. It was kind of refreshing to hear the woman, who had spent the last four years yelling at him, do it again. She put a plate with a burger on it in front of him and Jesse dig into it almost immediately. Indeed, he was hungry.

Next to him, Rachel failed to hide a yawn. She covered her mouth with shame.

"Go to sleep," Jesse pecked her cheek. "I'll come to say goodnight before I leave."

"No, I..."

Jesse threw her a serious look and she coveted. He's kept her busy for two hours, unable to resist her closeness and taking a selfish chance to devote his attention to her instead of everything else. The best he could do now was to grant her a good night of sleep.

Shelby watched her daughter enter her bedroom and close the door. Jesse followed her with his eyes as well, thinking that he would give everything for being able to spend the rest of the night with her.

"Jesse?"

Jesse looked up at Shelby's face. The woman folded her arms.

"Is it something serious?" she asked. His bad mood must've been still surrounding him like a bad aura. He shrugged.

"Family issues," he told her. "Me and Rachel are perfectly fine, if that's what you're asking about."

Shelby relaxed. Jesse resisted another comment. Shelby cared about Rachel's well being more than she was ready to admit. If his brooding mood in any way affected Rach, Shelby was bound to be the first one to notice.

"You better tell me how she is doing?" Jesse asked back. "I know she wouldn't tell me much not to burden me with anything more."

Shelby sat across the counter from him and split her fingers.

"She really seems good. Happy," Shelby admitted making Jesse's shoulder relax. "Most of her attention is focused on the team lately. I think that she tries to show the rest and me that she can do it without you and that she isn't there just because she's my daughter or your girlfriend, you know."

This time, Jesse frowned.

"That's ridiculous," he noticed. "No one expects her to be my copy."

And yet, Jesse couldn't stop thinking about her careful choice of people for auditions, her decision to talk to Mike Chang despite her personal disagreement with their methods, and before all, her own words from a conversation a while ago:

 _You sound as if you don't think I can do it._

Shelby took her time before she answered:

"No, but she doesn't see it yet."

Thinking about those words, Jesse started to agree with her. He finished his burger. As promised, he went to Rachel's room to say goodbye, only to find her fast asleep on her bed. Smiling to himself, Jesse sat at the edge of the bed and covered her tighter; she's been complaining about the chilly morning temperature in her room lately. She turned to the other side, when he caressed her cheek but didn't wake up.

Jesse raised to his feet. It was late but he had another place to be.

* * *

With heavy heart, Jesse opened the front door to the St. James residence. He almost hoped for the door to be closed but no – they let go without problems and Jesse was met with a stunned expression of his mother.

Showtime.

"Jesse! What are you doing here?" Marianne asked jumping to her feet. Politely, but with distance, Jesse hugged his mother and looked around.

"Is dad home?" he asked dryly.

His mother pulled out of the embrace and looked up at him with surprise. She shrugged.

"Yes, he's in his study. Why are you asking? Something happened?"

Jesse opened his mouth to let everything out; his fight with Becca, her stupid idea and his fury at his father who was once more responsible for his another child's bad decision. But then he couldn't. Not to his mother who had nothing to do with the whole mess; Jesse could deal with it without resorting to telling her.

As simply as that, Jesse just shook his head and stepped away. Just then, his father appeared in the room with them, probably alarmed by the voices. He stopped mid-step when he noticed Jesse.

"Please, don't tell me you flunked out after a month," his father sighed with resignation.

Jesse ignored the comment.

"We need to talk," Jesse barked glaring at his father.

"Oh," Jesse's mother hummed to herself. "Fine, I'll leave you two alone."

Jesse took off his jacket and threw it on the sofa, passing his father without a word, waiting for the older man to follow him, which he did with a displeased expression.

He waited for his father to enter the study, before shutting the door closed with a loud thud.

"What is going on, son?" his father asked calmly.

Jesse snorted.

"You tell me. Why is my sister's trust fund off?"

From the momentary flinch of Alexander St. James's face, Jesse knew he has caught his father off guard. He used the advantage and stuck the finger into his father's chest.

"I need you to restore it."

Jesse's father glared at the finger pointing into his chest and snorted. The man straightened his back proudly and stepped away in the direction of his desk. Wanting or not, Jesse watched him as he sat behind it and gestured for Jesse to take a seat as well. He ignored the suggestion bluntly.

"Jesse, sit down," this time Alexander St. James's voice betrayed a tinge of impatience.

"I'll stand," Jesse was resistant.

His father stared at him for a few seconds but gave up eventually.

"How do you know about this?" he asked silently but trying to keep his voice calm. Jesse scowled – his father was always like that; cold and evaluating. He was rarely allowing himself to get riled up or nervous. Jesse and Becks took their personality over from their overly emotional mother. When Jesse only raised his eyebrows in silence, his father let out a breath. "Of course, Rebecca told you."

"Of course Rebecca told me," Jesse repeated sarcastically. "I need you to reinstate the account immediately," he repeated.

"Why?"

For a moment, Jesse just stared at his father in shock.

"Why?" Jesse laughed dryly. "Because she's your fucking daughter, whether you like it or not. You can't keep on treating her like some second-rate citizen in this house. What in the earth did she ever do to you, huh?"

"She wouldn't be hanging upon this trust fund if she hasn't flunked out of college," Jesse's father pointed out matter-of-factly. "If she had any sort of education and normal job she wouldn't be worried about losing it before she'd twenty-five. I've told you this once before; I'm not stupid. I can see what's going on in both of my children's lives. Rebecca chose to continuously disregard our help, your mother's pleads and requests in the past. She more than once made a fool out of me, your mother and herself. Why would I pay for her parties for the rest of my life?"

Jesse balled his fists but didn't respond.

He considered his chances in silence. Jesse decided not to tell anything about Becca's moronic wedding idea just yet. He flew over to Ohio to try to convince his father to change his mind in the financial matters – hoping for Becca to find her reason when she is financially stable again.

It was smarter to try out all his options before starting a regular war.

Finally, he took a deep breath and approached the desk, sitting down at the chair in front of it. He cleared his throat and put his hands on the wooden surface, dropping his angry voice completely.

"Dad, please," he murmured silently. "If you can't do it for her, do it for me. You can cut the sum in half. Or take half of my money and transfer it on to her account if you don't want to spend any extra money on Becks. But, please, don't cut her off completely."

Jesse rarely asked. He was used to getting everything he wanted and begging was way beneath him and his parents knew this. That's probably why his father's eyes widened slightly at the request. It lasted for less than five seconds, though, before Jesse's father's eyes narrowed and his lips pursued a thin line.

"She asked you to come here and convince me to change her mind? She wasn't even brave to come here personally?"

Jesse shook his head.

"She doesn't even know I'm here and I want it to remain this way," he said truthfully. "We had a fight a few days ago and she'd rather kill me herself than let talk to you."

They were interrupted by the soft knock at the door. Jesse straightened his back and closed his mouth obediently when his father threw him a warning look. Jesse got the meaning of that quickly: his mother had no idea about Becca's trust fund. It wasn't surprising, Jesse thought: the woman never tried to interfere in the family finances in the past. His father was basically running it all on his own. Realising that he could use this to his advantage, Jesse raised his head; if his angle wouldn't work, he could always try to pry his mother onto his side in the conflict.

Jesse's mom entered the small room with an uncertain smile.

"Sweetheart," she looked at Jesse. "Can you finish whatever you were talking... yelling... about later? I need your father to help me with something before the dinner party tomorrow."

Jesse glanced up at his father who nodded his head with a warm smile. That old bastard would do anything to spare his wife nerves and stress. Ironically, Jesse remembered Becca's words to Rachel last time they spoke and simply had to admit the rightfulness of her observations – their parents were really an 'oddly well-matched' couple.

"Of course, love," Alexander St. James jumped briskly to his feet. Then he turned to look at Jesse with a stern expression. "Jesse, you've heard your mother. We can finish it tomorrow."

"Great," Jesse replied shrugging. "Then I'll see you tomorrow as well."

They looked at him in surprise.

"What?" his mother sounded concerned. "You've just come home, Jesse."

Jesse shrugged again. He moved to leave the room but his father's voice stopped him before he reached the exit.

"Not so quick, Jesse," the man threw. "Where are you going?"

"I'll stay over at a friend's place," he said matter-of-factly. "Bye."

"You can bring Rachel here tomorrow," Jesse's mother smiled hopefully.

Jesse grimaced slightly.

"We actually have plans." He protested. "I promised to take her out to a restaurant she wanted to try out. We'll eat out, maybe see some movies or go to visit her dads in Lima. I don't know yet."

"Jesse, your mother asked you to do something," his father said pointedly.

Jesse cursed silently, knowing this tone that there was no point in arguing. He grimaced but nodded his head. Without another word, he escaped the room and his parents.

Grabbing his jacket and bag on his way to the exit, he ran up to his Range Rover that he 'borrowed' from Rach. He pulled out his phone and saw the he had a few texts and a voice message from Becca. He read through them quickly but they all contained only a 'call me' and 'where are you?' messages. Jesse scrolled over his contact list until his sister's name appeared on the screen. His thumb hovered over the green button but something stopped him. Jesse threw his phone to the passenger's seat and started the engine of the car. He would help Becca with money to stop her ridiculous plans but he had no intention of bragging about it.

Right now, he had a few places to visit and few things to organise before presenting his girlfriend with the best date night she will ever experience. True, he's promised to step by his house – but he never promised to stay at his mother's party longer than few minutes.

* * *

For the third time this evening, Jesse was facing someone's door. He knocked three times before someone finally opened it. He was exhausted and hoped it would turn out to be the last freaking door her was to face that evening. He grinned at the sight of Justin's stunned face.

"St. James, man, what the hell are you doing here?" his friend asked with astonishment.

Jesse pulled his bag off his shoulder.

"Can I crash at your place tonight?" he asked. "I came home for the weekend but I can't stay there right now and Shelby told me to stay away from Rach tonight."

If Justin was surprised by any of that, he pushed any potential questions aside and let him enter.

"Be my guest. My mom's asleep so just keep it down."

Jesse nodded in silence, following Justin to his room. Inside, he looked around and with a dose of surprise, he saw Briana. The girl gaped at him and blushed like a rose, clearing any sort of doubts about her late visit. Jesse muffled a smirk – he just threw Justin an impressed and questioning look before greeting his old teammate.

Briana was as surprised to see him as was Jesse, apparently.

"Jesse, what are you doing in Ohio?" she asked jumping to her feet and hugging him shortly.

Jesse hugged her back.

"Family business," he replied vaguely. "Sorry, I didn't know Justin was... busy?"

The other boy rolled his eyes.

"Back off, St. James," he barked. "I'm giving you a considerable portion of my floor tonight so you better keep whatever you have to say to yourself. And I mean it – not even Berry."

Jesse raised his hands in surrender. To be honest, Jesse wasn't that surprised to find Briana with Justin. He could see that the two of them had it coming for a few months now. Briana never belonged to the close circle of Jesse's friends but she wasn't annoying or problematic so Jesse could only congratulate them.

Glancing around the darkened room, Jesse realised that he probably interrupted something more than a late date between Justin and Briana. He felt the slightest pang of guilt but quickly chased it away. How could he know that she'd be there, in the first place? Besides, she didn't seem angry – more like embarrassed to be caught red-handed.

"You're going to show up in the auditions tomorrow?" Briana asked while Justin opened his closet to take out some spare blankets. "If I remember correctly, they were your favourite activity at the beginning of the year."

"Yeah," Justin interrupted her, turning to smirk at him. "You were free to give some poor kid a slanting and irrevocably crush their dreams. Classic Jesse St. James."

Jesse smirked; he remembered those times very well, indeed. But unfortunately, he wasn't a part of the team anymore; Rach has made it very clear when she initially refused to seek his advice on the files. It was her time to shine.

"I'll pass," he shrugged. "Rach took over, Shelby introduced a new policy. My era is gone – and with it, my sharp evaluation."

"Fair enough," Briana admitted. She looked around the room and her eyes stopped on Justin whose face fell in disappointment when she went on: "I think I'll be going. It was good to see you, Jesse. We miss you."

Jesse winked at her and jokingly; he missed his team as well.

Briana stood up. Justin stopped his search and followed her outside and over to the main door. Watching them, Jesse saw how Justin leaned in and planted a kiss on Briana's lips before smiling like a love-struck fool. For a moment Jesse wondered if it was the same look he had been giving Rachel all these months before and now.

No wonder everyone seemed to read through him in this one case.

Not wanting to look like a creep, Jesse turned immediately, seeing that Justin was about to return to the room after Briana left.

"Now, spill," Justin closed the door to his room. "How's the city? Berry says you live like a prince."

Grimacing slightly at the choice of words, Jesse forced a small smile.

"I work my ass off," he admitted. "One could've thought that singing held no secrets from me. Guess who needs to redefine his entire perception of music."

Justin laughed.

"That good, huh?" he asked with a knowing smile.

"Awesome," Jesse admitted truthfully.

He loved Julliard; it wasn't easy but it was exactly how he had imagined it to be all these years he'd spent dreaming about it with Rachel. The atmosphere, people, teachers – all that was amazing, demanding and it was fascinating to actually learn that many thing he'd thought he knew were something totally different. But the best part of it was that it posed a considerable challenge – and Jesse St. James loved being constantly challenged. He couldn't imagine what would happen if he didn't get his chance for the second audition.

"I'm thinking more in terms of NYU," Justin announced out of the sudden. "Not necessarily performing arts but definitely Big Apple."

Pleasantly surprised at the piece of new, Jesse nodded his head with appreciation.

"It'd be nice to have someone else there," he admitted. "I love the city but I sometimes miss the team, Shelby and, hell, even my crazy parents."

Justin laughed.

"I imagine being away from Rachel is a drag, too, huh? You don't have to tell me. Rachel's playing it cool but she's even more neurotic than ever. God knows, she was bearable when you were close enough to hold her hand... if you know what I mean."

"I'll make sure she hears about it," Jesse threatened him half-heartedly. "But, seriously, I started hating my right hand after two weeks."

Justin burst into laughter.

"Luckily, Shelby was kind enough to leave us the apartment earlier," Jesse added.

That piece of information grasped Justin's attention.

"Wait, Shelby Corcoran left you two alone in her apartment, knowing that the first thing you were going to do was jumping each other's bones?" he asked with disbelief. "Mother of the freaking year."

It was Jesse's turn to laugh. The advantages of dating his best friend and daughter of the coach who at the same time knew him enough to trust with her daughter were plentiful – and included no parental advisory twenty-four hours a day.

Jesse closed his eyes and his head fell back against the wall behind him. He was glad he decided to stop at Justin's place instead of going home. He felt like having a relaxing evening with someone who had no idea what was going on and wouldn't just start asking questions which he wasn't sure he wanted to answer. Besides, it was good to have a guy to guy talk from time to time. In fact, he could use a piece of advice right now, Jesse thought.

"Hey," he spoke up after some period of silence.

Justin looked up at him questioningly. Jesse hesitated; not sure what exactly he wanted to ask about. Justin was looking at him patiently while Jesse tried to come up with the best way of putting his question into words.

"Do you remember, my sophomore year, how Shelby lost it after I've brought some girl to the auditorium before a rehearsal? She's caught us making out in the wings."

If Justin was surprised at the topic of Jesse's inquiry, he did a great job of keeping it to himself. Frowning uncertainly, the boy nodded in agreement.

Jesse couldn't remember that day very well; he couldn't even recall the girl's name or whether she was a blonde or not, a cheerleader or maybe just a former teammate. If he was totally honest with himself, Jesse has forgotten about this whole situation at all – until Rebecca's words made him re-evaluate entire months of his life.

"Yeah, Giselle has been singing lead for a week after that," Justin reminded him.

What he remembered, though, was Shelby's incredibly harsh reaction. As Justin said, she had taken away all his solos for the week, including the Invitationals performance. It was the only time that Jesse was stripped off his leading spot in Vocal Adrenaline. It was Shelby's way of punishing him for his "stupidity and irresponsible behaviour", as she had put it in her long and an elaborate scolding that took place soon after the incident. But now Jesse wasn't interested in his past punishment at all.

"Why, do you think, she'd lost it then?" Jesse asked again. "I mean, it wasn't the first time it happened with either me or any of the guys from the team."

Thinking for a moment about a possible answer, Justin kicked the leg of the armchair he was sitting in. He reached out to grab a bottle of water. Finally, he shrugged and shook his head.

"Because she had a PMS? I have no idea, man. Why the sudden trip into the past, anyway?" he lifted his head to throw Jesse another questioning stare.

Jesse touched the side of his face.

"Because I'm ninety-nine percent sure that she did it because of Rachel who was with her."

There was a moment of silence before Justin grasped the true meaning of Jesse's words; he choked on the water he was drinking, spilling some of the drink on himself.

"Dude, you don't mean that..."

Feeling like slapping himself hard in the face again, Jesse nodded his head with a grim expression.

"That's exactly what I mean," he murmured and chuckled humourlessly. "My sister told me recently that Rachel used to have a crush on me back then. And I had no idea until she spelled it out for me."

"But... How? I mean..." Justin seemed to have equally as much trouble imagining this as Jesse; it somehow lifted Jesse's spirits. "She was, like, fourteen back then. Or less."

"Yeah," Jesse nodded his head.

"And _you_ had no idea?" Justin made sure he understood correctly. When Jesse confirmed, he whistled: "Man, I start to respect Berry's acting skills even more. We've seen through you the first time you've laid eyes on her two years ago."

Despite his mood, Jesse laughed at the last remark. True, his teammates almost immediately figured out what was going through Jesse's head at that time. Some of the girls teased him about being too blind not to have realised it sooner, even. Could it be that they had known about Rachel's crush and it was their way of giving him a hard time for being an asshole?

"Man, if I knew about it, I would have made sure to keep her away from you," Justin whistled again. Jesse looked up but wasn't surprised at Justin's comment. The guy liked Rachel, almost all his friends from Vocal Adrenaline took to her the moment they had first met her. Eventually, even Giselle discovered some warm feelings towards his girlfriend.

"So the team had no idea?" Jesse asked hopefully. For the past week he's been beating himself over being too blind to notice her – but it would seem that she was simply too _good_ at hiding them. "It wasn't just me?"

"I think so. We've never talked about it, you know," Justin answered flatly but still slightly in shock. "But I think that Andy would have tried to make you stop behaving like a manwhore with Rachel around, should she or any of the girls had known. She's had a soft spot for Berry from the beginning; she wouldn't have let you make her uncomfortable or something."

"I still feel like a complete moron, though," Jesse noticed with poorly hidden frustration.

He wondered if it had been the same for Rachel.

"I don't know what to say, Jesse," Justin shook his head again before standing up and good-mannerly patting Jesse's shoulder. "But I think that you're just too focused on the negatives, while ignoring one huge highlight of this situation."

"What do you mean?" Jesse asked in confusion. What good could have possibly arisen from this?

"If it's true, then _you've_ been Berry's first love, right?" Justin smirked.

Jesse's eyes widened when he suddenly realised that Justin _was_ right. Rach was crushing on him all those years ago – and judging from Shelby's rage when she thought he's been insensitive in the face of those feelings, the crush must've been something more than just a fleeting infatuation (Rach was unable of such, Jesse knew). If it was true, then Jesse, unknowingly, has always been bound to have that part of Rachel.

But it were Justin's next words that made Jesse seriously want to hug him:

"Which made Hudson a rebound guy."

* * *

 **Rachel's POV**

Rachel woke up with a smile. Like, literally, with a smile on her face. She had the most amazing dream that Jesse came to town as a surprise. Only after a few seconds and the sight of his T-shirt on the chair by her bed, did she realise that it wasn't a dream. Rachel fought the urge to jump out of the bed to drive over to his place. Instead, she simply silenced her alarm clock and lay in the bed for another few minutes. She deserved a minute or two to herself.

Today she will have to get through the auditions, pick out people who she would probably spend most of her afternoons with, and try to manage until the evening and her date with Jesse.

She couldn't wait; she loved their dates – Jesse was always looking handsome and was on his best behaviour, picking up some of the tricks he'd seen in different romantic movies. Secretly, Rachel loved when this side of Jesse surfaced during their nights out. The first time he took her out as his official girlfriend, they had dinner in the best restaurant in Akron and after that he took her to see her favourite ballet. The whole time, he was just the amazing boyfriend any girl could ever dream about: handsome, charming and funny, focused solely on her throughout the entire evening.

This never changed, no matter what they did on their date nights and it was probably what made it all the best. With Finn, she was never sure how much of what she'd been saying actually would reach his brain, while Jesse seemed to constantly read her mind.

Stepping on the elliptical, Rachel tried to stop daydreaming about Jesse; she had a day full of events before her and her attention should be focused solely on the auditions. Shelby has been trying to tell her everything there was to know about today; the way it was supposed to be conducted, what to look for in the candidates, how to speak to them, and what to do to make them realise that it was not a joke. Rachel felt ready to face the day and the crowds of people awaiting their fate. She knew that the day would bring a bunch of surprises. She wondered if Mike Chang would show up.

Shaking her head, Rachel stepped off the elliptical. She needed to stay focused – thinking about so many things at once was distressing. And she would rather prefer spending the day with her boyfriend rather than in the dark auditorium.

She wondered if it was normal in the case of long-distance relationships – daydreaming about Jesse instead of focusing on what was at hand whenever he was visiting. She laughed to herself. A little bit of distraction was not a sin.

She was surprised to see a familiar figure waiting for them at the parking lot of Carmel High. Grinning like an idiot, Rachel jumped out of Shelby's car to be greeted by Jesse's lips on her. Standing on her tiptoes, she embraced his neck and giggled against his lips when he tried to return the hug, awkwardly due to two cups of hot coffee in his hands.

Shelby raised her eyebrow.

"You again?" she threw instead of hello. Rachel frowned at her mother who shrugged simply in response.

Jesse handed Rachel one of the cups of coffee and the other passed to Shelby. The woman took it from him and raised an eyebrow.

"I thought I you might need that today," Jesse smirked. "It's one large black coffee, no sugar for my favourite showchoir coach."

Rachel snorted into her own soy latte. Shelby only shook her head and started walking away. Jesse looked at her back expectantly. As if sensing his glare, Shelby raised her cup of coffee.

"You're not staying over tonight, Jesse," the woman threw over her shoulder.

Rachel giggled at Jesse's displeased expression. She pressed her cheek against Jesse's chest and hugged him again with one arm. Her boyfriend let out a frustrated groan.

"That would be four bucks for the coffee!" he called after Rachel's mother before she disappeared behind the corner of the building.

Rachel was still laughing softly when Jesse turned to look at her small figure. He rolled his eyes and kissed her temple.

"I told you, she won't budge," Rachel noticed sipping at her coffee. Shelby might've been a "cool mum" when it came to Jesse but that one rule she had established in June was final: Jesse was not allowed to stay overnight when Shelby was around. "But nice try."

"It was worth giving a shot," he shrugged. "How's _your_ coffee?"

Rachel grinned. She let go of his waist and leaned against the Range Rover.

"Exactly, what I needed," she said pleased but her expression fell slightly when she thought about the following couple of hours. "I'm nervous."

Jesse looked really surprised.

"About what? The auditions?"

Looking down, Rachel nodded. She couldn't get rid of the ball of anxiety that was forming in her stomach with every passing minute. She had read all the files all over again and realised that many of the girls there seemed to be very talented. Maybe even as talented as her. How could she know if among the list of names she hadn't crossed out immediately, there wouldn't be someone... _better_ than her? The mere thought terrified her but wasn't that impossible. She might've been the best singer in Lima but Akron... It posed a challenge.

As if reading her mind, Jesse shook his head. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. Then, he leaned in and lowered his head so that he could look straight into her eyes. She smiled despite herself.

"Rachel Berry you are the most incredibly talented person I've ever met," he assured her seriously. "There's no one, especially in this god-forbidden school, that could ever think of trying to reach your level of artistic perfection."

"But what if..."

She was silenced by Jesse's lips on her. Rachel closed her eyes, relaxing. Jesse's words worked miracle on her mood. He pulled away and Rachel gulped.

"Now," Jesse spoke up again. He grabbed her arms and turned her around, pushing slightly forward. "Go and crush as many spirits as you can."

Rachel giggled and caught Jesse's hand one last time. She pushed him close and pecked his lips, saying:

"I'm so glad you're here."

It was true. Jesse in Akron, coming to Carmel so early just to see her and wish her luck was something she really needed right now. She hoped that he would change his mind and stay with her throughout the auditions but Rachel knew better. Besides, she and Jesse had a date in less than eight hours; she would manage to somehow get through the day.

Jesse laughed and pinned her back to the hood of his car.

"You're in a good mood today," Rachel noticed, pleasantly surprised.

Last night he tried to hide from her that he was tense and anxious. Nevertheless, Rachel, who could read him like an open book, was the first to see through his seemingly calm facade. But today, Jesse was smiling at her without any hidden concerns, simply taking in her presence. Briefly, she wondered what has happened to change his attitude over night.

"I am," he admitted, interrupting her inner wonderings. "And because of that, I'm going to make today all about you."

Rachel's lips spread in a huge grin at his words. He kissed her on the lips.

"And me," he added, planting another kiss. "And I am planning on making both of us forget about everything else: my sister, the auditions and even Kurt."

"Just us?" Rachel whispered.

"You and me," Jesse confirmed. She responded by leaning in for another, passionate kiss.

"Now, that's the picture I was hoping to never see again."

The couple jumped in their spot, glancing around to locate the owner of the voice. Their task was easy as the group of people gathered few meters from them didn't try to hide.

"Are you kidding me?" another person jumped in. "Catching them making out in the wings made an awesome bet game."

Rachel blushed when she received an evaluating look from her teammates. Jesse released the grip in her waist but his arms didn't leave her as he wrapped his arm around her back.

The hasty and happy greeting began. Rachel stepped aside to stand closer to Justin while the rest of their team talked with Jesse, asking him about college, New York and the purpose of his visit.

She observed how people, who she still sometimes barely known outside the rehearsals, crowded Jesse and how he himself interacted with each one of them so easily. Silently, she wondered if in two years her teammates will react the same way to her visit.

"We really need to go," Justin reminded her throwing a quick glance at the door to the auditorium. "Or Shelby will make _us_ audition again."

Rachel blinked. She stepped away to gather her thoughts. Deciding that Justin was right, she moved forward to grab Jesse's hand and pull him away from the group, smiling at the rest and throwing over her shoulder:

"Shelby's waiting in the auditorium," she ordered. "Adam, Paula and Briana, you are on the list duty. Meg, you go to the wings. The rest of you, follow Justin."

Few seconds later, they were alone again. This time, however, Rachel kept a healthy distance from his traitorous hands and the cocky smirk she loved so much.

"Call me when you're done, okay?" Rachel reminded him. "You'll pick me up from here or we'll meet at Shelby's place."

He nodded and, eventually, started walking away towards the Range Rover. Smiling to herself and drinking her soy latte, Rachel marched to the auditorium.


	6. I Hope I Get It

**Hi, guys! Here's another chapter - slightly longer again :)**

 **Chapter 6: Auditions**

 **Rachel's POV**

Some time after Rachel had said goodbyes to Jesse and made sure everything was prepared as planned, she finally managed to sit down for a minute in one of the seats in the audience and gather her thoughts. She was stunned at the amount of effort and word that these auditions required from them. If she thought about it, in rule this day was supposed to consist of Vocal Adrenaline sitting in the audience and listening to people who wanted to join the team – nothing special: making notes and sharing some remarks on particular people.

In reality, she felt like they were facing Presidential elections, at least. Every single bit had to be planned and prepared for in advance; Shelby hated surprises and unexpected actions. When working, she required order, obedience and hard-work that were later visible in their performance. People thought that Vocal Adrenaline was great because they accepted only the best singers and dancers but Rachel had learned a long time ago that it was only partially true. In fact, she now could see that the team itself was as good as its leader.

For one, Mr. Schue was a great teacher but he believed in spontaneous bursts of energy and feelings that were supposed to rule people's lives. Rachel thought that it was the essence of the New Directions: their ever-changing weekly assignments, all the personal drama that undermined the very existence of the club were what defined the essence of the McKinley glee club. Even their Sectionals show from last year was a total last-minute event. Mr Schue was friendly, emphatic and full of good spirits – but he was devoid of the same level of competitive instinct as Shelby. His goal was to help the New Directions win, of course, but he was even more concerned with showing them the joy of performing itself.

Such things could never happen in Carmel. What Shelby valued most in her life, was what she wanted them to present on stage and through their work. Every rehearsal was about making the number perfect, finding possible weaknesses and eliminating them. Potential members of the team were supposed to experience it from the very beginning, as early as during auditions: if someone was not ready to give more than a hundred percent of their devotion to the team, he could forget about Vocal Adrenaline at all.

"Hey, Berry, we're all set," Justin called to her from the stage.

Blinking, Rachel woke up from her daydreaming. Nodding at her lead, she jumped to her feet, grabbed her notepad and followed the boy outside the auditorium. She put on her royal blue VA jacket while rushing after Justin who stopped only to tell Briana and Paula to get ready and follow them as well. Seconds later, Rachel was standing in a wide corridor that was leading to the wings. With a brave smile and Jesse's encouraging voice in her head, she faced a group of forty or so people who were ready to amaze them with their skills.

When they entered, the attention of the candidates focused solely on her. Looking around, Rachel spotted a number of familiar faces: her colleagues from some classes, biology partner and even the girl who complimented her necklace on the first day of school. Keeping her face straight, she quickly sought a particularly familiar boy but she couldn't spot Mike Chang in the crowd.

Exchanging quick comments with Justin, Rachel stepped forward and opened her mouth, ready to explain the rules. The door beside her opened and a tall figure of her former teammate appeared.

"Sorry," Mike Chang murmured apologetically. "Traffic."

Justin patted her arm in a silent 'well done.' Rachel smiled and finally addressed the crowd:

"May I have your attention, please?" she called. "In case you somehow don't know it, my name is Rachel Berry and I am the lead vocalist of Vocal Adrenaline. You," she scrutinized the expressions of the people in front of her. "Are here to fight for the chance to make me look amazing on stage." She had to suppress a grin that almost appeared on her face at the memory of the last time she had heard similar words.

She sobered and measured the small crowd with her eyes.

"I advise you to give us all you've got on that stage. There are forty-one of you, out of whom we need only eight people. Three girls and five boys, no more, no less."

Observing a whole range of different emotions and reactions appearing on the candidates' faces, Rachel turned to look at Justin and nodded at him to take over.

"We start off with dancing. You will be divided into four groups," he announced loud enough for everyone to hear him. "Paula and Briana here," he gestured to two grimly-looking girls next to him. "will read out the names just before you enter the auditorium so I would discourage you from wandering off. Those groups will consist of equal number of girls and boys in case we feel like checking if you can coordinate with a partner – each one of you had been previously paired up with someone else by us."

"Should you survive the first part," Briana spoke up, replacing Justin. "You go on with the singing. Those of you that came in here as dancers only, check with me right after leaving the auditorium, you will show us your original routines at the end."

"Good luck," Paula finished with a mocking smile.

Rachel looked at Mike Chang for the last time. He was stretching in the corner, throwing careful glances around him; Rachel suspected that he was looking for some familiar faces who could rat him out to the New Directions. Keeping that in mind, Rachel marched out of the corridor and back into the auditorium.

* * *

From her place in the audience, Rachel watched the first group take their places on the stage. Shelby was sitting alone behind her table in the middle of the auditorium, silently observing how the members of Vocal Adrenaline coordinated the auditions. Rachel was sitting below her, with three other girls beside her. On her left, Justin was texting someone and not caring about his surroundings until Rachel nudged his arm rather forcefully. Only then did he rise his head and apologised:

"I'm leaving the dancers to Shelby and Meg," he explained with a shrug. "They are the experts."

Rachel looked down at the stage where her teammates, Meg and Patrick were whispering between them and smiling.

Meg was a pretty senior whose relationship with Rachel was limited to everyday's rehearsals and occasional night-outs with the team. Over the summer, Jesse tried to explain her that getting to know every other member of VA very well was nearly impossible, so she shouldn't even try wasting her time on that when she voiced her plans in that direction. She eventually decided that becoming everyone's friend was indeed impossible even in a considerably smaller group of people, so trying to doing it in Vocal Adrenaline was totally pointless. They worked together, they occasionally spent time together, and they respected each other enough for the team to be successful but they couldn't be everyone's best friend at the same time.

Meg was the type of girl that was always happy and nice to everyone. She had a circle of close friends in the team, one of them being Paula, whom Rachel knew a bit better. If there was one thing Meg was a master of – it was dancing. That's why Rachel understood Justin's decision to give his vote to her in this department.

The system in Vocal Adrenaline was simple: the lead – or leads – were the only ones that had a voting privilege aside from Shelby. The three of them could ask others about their opinions but the decision was in their hands only. Glancing down on her own evaluation sheet prepared for the audition, Rachel was sure that she was not going to give away her power in favour of anyone.

Meg jumped on the stage and stopped in front of the waiting candidates. She told them silently to "copy her moves". Rachel smiled a bit at that part – it was crucial that they did not change the routine or try to add anything new. Vocal Adrenaline was about unity and perfect imitation. Shelby expected them to be such on stage. People compared their performances to the movement of machines: Rachel liked to call it ideal synchronisation.

People on stage nodded their heads; some looked nervous, some seemed to be totally confident in their abilities. Meg looked up at Shelby and nodded her head. Rachel's mother grabbed the remote and pushed a single button. Simultaneously, Meg started with the routine. Blinded by the unexpectedly bright light, the first group lost two or three first seconds of her presentation.

Rachel couldn't resist a smile – she remembered being blinded by the same spotlight for the first time, years before, when she decided to sing before Vocal Adrenaline this one time. Seeing how the smallest sense of panic was entering some of the faces on the stage, and feeling a bit sorry for the teenagers, Rachel thank every deity that she didn't have to go through a formal auditions herself.

The presentation was over; the routine wasn't difficult in itself but it contained a mass of different elements which required a tone of focus and attention to memorise after the first time. On the right from the stage, Patrick, the second dancing instructor for the day, turned on the music. Meg was walking around the space on the stage, giving out corrections or remarks. Whenever, she noticed someone better, she let him go by pointing at him or her. Rachel made a quick work of marking those people's numbers on the list.

"Hey, do you have some plans with Jesse tonight?"

Rachel's head snapped up. She turned to Justin who finally put his phone down but was now looking at her with interest. Surprised by his unexpected question, she frowned, while trying to fill in the tables on her file.

"Yes. Why are you asking?"

"I wanted to know if he would be staying at your place or at mine again."

This time, Rachel stopped writing altogether. Seeing her open mouth, Justin's eyes widened in panic.

"Dammit, you didn't know?"

"He was sleeping at your place?" Rachel repeated disbelievingly but not without a tinge of irritation. "If he couldn't stay at home, he could've stayed with me. If was a kind of _emergency_ , after all."

 _And we could've had spent more quality time together_ , Rachel huffed with annoying feeling in her head. She sort of hated Jesse for turning her into this needy creature.

Justin made a sorry face.

"Hey," Rachel suddenly remembered Jesse's happy demeanour this morning. She threw Justin a suspicious look. "Did you two discuss something last night? Like, I don't know, whatever has been bothering Jesse lately?"

This time Justin literally froze. Rachel turned her head to glare at her co-lead and folded her arms when he still refused to talk. To hell with Jesse's improvised guy evening: somehow Justin managed to improve her boyfriend's foul mood, which was something _she_ was unable to do for a week.

"I promised to keep by mouth shut," Justin pleaded her. He knew her well enough to know that when she wanted something, she could get it. "Please, don't give Jesse a reason to kick my ass."

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

"I already know everything about Rebecca's engagement and the... issues connected with that," Rachel hissed impatiently. "I need you to tell me what exactly you told him that had made him so _unbothered_ by this anymore."

Justin opened his mouth when she started talking but with her every word, his expression turned more and more confused, to finally be an illustration of shock.

"Becks got engaged?" he repeated ignoring her question. "Why the hell we are hearing about this just now?"

Rachel rolled her eyes; it seemed that Jesse's sister was rather popular among Jesse's teammates as their faithful drinking buddy whenever she was in town. The younger guy's attention seemed to boost Becks' ego more than girl nights, it would seem.

However, realising that she has just accidentally revealed to Justin something that Jesse had obviously kept to himself the previous night, she was now the one to turn pale. Justin noticed that reaction and it was his turn to smirk at her.

"We're even," he murmured, reaching out his hand. "I haven't heard about Becks and you do not ask me about the other thing."

" _What_ other thing?!" Rachel hissed. "Justin, I swear..."

"Rachel! Justin! Stop talking already!"

The two of them literally jumped in their seats when Shelby's angry order reached their ears. They both stiffened when their coach smashed her hand against the desk.

"Whatever you two have to discuss, you can do it after we're done here. Is that understood?"

They nodded and grabbed their respective tables to start the assessment of the second group of dancers. They didn't dare to move a bit until Shelby gestured at Briana to fetch the second group into the auditorium.

"Rachel, in fact you can go help Patrick with this one," Shelby threw once more through the microphone.

Knowing that protests would be hopeless, Rachel marched down the aisle. In meantime, the second group was on the stage now and Meg was reading out their names and the names of their partners. Patrick smiled at her when she climbed up the stage and threw Shelby an uncertain glance before rolling his eyes. Rachel replied with a smile.

"Can you do last year's Nationals routine?" Patrick asked her quietly. Rachel nodded when she understood that Patrick was going to help her not to humiliate herself in front of everyone. She was a great dancer, sure – but working out a partnered number in the act was a bit more difficult.

"Of course. You want the one with Justin or Jesse?" she asked. During the _March of the Black Queen_ she had danced the general routine with Justin and a tango with Jesse.

"Justin," Patrick nodded his head. "We'll cut the second lift-throw sequence, though."

He looked up at Meg to confirm that they were up and ready and addressed the rest:

"Watch. Remember. We'll do it twice for you," he told them, adding with a smirk: "We've won last year's Nationals with this. If you can do this in one go," he moved over their faces. "I'll give you my spot in the team this minute."

Rachel took a deep breath, throwing Shelby a murderous glare that the woman answered with a raised eyebrows. On her way to take her position few meters from Patrick, Rachel realised that it was Mike Chang's group. Her former teammate was paired up with a petite redhead who looked like she was about to fall apart, especially hearing Patrick's last comment. In reaction to the same words, Rachel's former colleague raised an eyebrow at her. That was an interesting twist for both of them.

The music started. Rachel skilfully re-enacted her first victorious choreography, thanking Jesse for being an ass and not giving up on her until he declared that she was ready to repeat every little step in her sleep. The whole thing lasted for two, maybe three minutes, tops. The music stopped and along with it Rachel and Patrick. Rachel suppressed the grin that tried to force its way on her face in response to ten shocked expressions. Letting out a short breath, she evaluated her audience; some of them looked green, moving slightly as if trying to imitate certain gestures, some still kept up their smug smiles. She and Patrick repeated the routine without hesitation and when they were done, they bowed jokingly and took their places at the ends of the stage, ready to observe and give pointers.

Rachel crossed her arms and took her time. She remembered long hours spent on this exact stage, rehearsing the same number without rest. Now, seeing how five couples tried to repeat it after seeing it twice only, she struggled to keep up a neutral expression. With a dose of pleasure but not surprise, she noticed that Mike Chang was one of the two boys to keep up and do the least number of errors. His partner was doing her best but it was obvious that Mike was the one to keep their performance up.

 _Routine-wisely, this group is doomed_ , Rachel thought without pity, looking at the rest.

She made her way towards the centre of the stage and pointed to Mike. He noticed her immediately and stopped. His partner looked like she could kiss him when she realised that, thanks to him, Rachel was sending them aside to rest. Patrick saw what she did and nodded his head in approval. In meantime, Rachel felt Mike's eyes on her face. She called to a little blonde girl to speed up on her jumps before coming closer to the him.

"You've made it. I almost thought that...," she started but stopped talking to yell at the same blonde to stop dancing altogether. It came out rather harsh and not for the first time, Rachel thought that some of Shelby must've rubbed off on her during the last few months. She smiled apologetically to Mike and picked up where she's left off: "That you wouldn't come."

"I won't stay, Rachel," Mike voiced what she'd known since she saw him earlier. "You know that."

"Are you sure?" she asked looking up. "We could get you into the best dancing schools."

He chuckled. His dance partner was still standing next to them and her eyes almost popped out of her head when she heard the exchange. Rachel understood her astonishment very well. She was doing her best to make it into the team while the guy was bluntly telling the lead 'no' despite the direct invitation.

"My parents want me to become a doctor, not a dancer, Rachel," Mike reminded her with truthfulness that surprised her slightly. Rachel knew that his parents were opposed to the idea of art school but she's learned it from the file she'd received – now Mike was telling her this in person. It was probably the greatest amount of words they have exchanged right after their secret meeting's conversation.

She shrugged. In meantime, Patrick released another two couples; there was just one couple standing on the stage, wearing grim expressions when they realised that they were the last ones. She thought that Patrick would just send them away but he just turned the music on again and told them to dance again. He seemed to enjoy their little misery.

"How's the New Directions, anyway?" Rachel asked. With Kurt, her source of information (indirectly from Finn since he would tell Kurt about school and then Kurt would pass the news over to her) about her old club was gone as well.

"We're trying to get someone new but you can imagine how well that goes," Mike Chang threw her a humourless smile. "We're not even sure we can get people to compete in Sectionals."

"Mr Schue will think of something for sure," Rachel assured him without thinking. "Or I can send some of our today's leftovers off to Lima. If they can survive Santana's bitchy remarks and Finn's inability to take two steps without falling on his back, they would do well with VA rehearsal's instant hell. Avoiding slushies improves reflexes, too."

The redhead girl next to Mike gasped at Rachel's words until she realised that Rachel was joking. Partially, at least but that she girl didn't need to know. But Mike remained silent; he didn't think it was funny, apparently but decided not to comment on it. Rachel closed her mouth and looked up at Shelby who was trying to look focused on the stage next to them but couldn't resist glancing once or twice at the two talking teenagers. She wanted Mike in Vocal Adrenaline.

Patrick finally had mercy on the last dancers, sending everybody away. Mike Chang left the auditorium along with the rest of his group. Rachel turned to walk away as well; she moved in the directions of the small stairs, ready to return to her seat. She had people to watch – discussing the New Directions was pointless.

A movement over their heads caught Rachel's attention. She froze at the sight of familiar highlights waving in the semi-darkness while the person entered the balcony over the auditorium seats. Acting on instinct, Rachel quickly changed the direction, following the leaving group and ignoring Patrick's questioning expression. She called to Shelby to hold on a minute. She found Briana immediately.

"Rachel? What is it?" she asked.

"Michael Chang won't be coming out for the second part," she said loud enough for the boy to hear. He turned, ready to protest when Rachel silence him with another sentence. "He isn't considering the team seriously anyway."

She turned her back without another word. On her way out of the corridor, she heard Briana tell Mike to pack his things, ignoring his angry indistinct murmurs.

"Rachel is the boss here," Briana cut him off. "You're out of the circuit. Okay, group three: Richards, Cain, Webb, Cransen, Ramirez..."

Rachel didn't listen to the list of names anymore. She hurried towards the stairs and up them to finally reach the door and open them. The two girls on the balcony jumped in their seats when she cleared her throat pointedly.

"Tina, Quinn, nice to see you," she greeted her former teammates icily. "Now will you leave on your own or should I call Mr Schue and inform him that you are spying?"

Surprisingly, Tina was the first one to pull herself together. She folded her arms on her chest and glared back at Rachel. Quinn was just looking from one angry face to another.

"How about I tell Mr Schue about you trying to poach my boyfriend to your team?"

That took Rachel off the beat – Tina and Mike Chang were dating? When the hell did that happen? Shaking her head, she ignored the idea, focusing on the important issue.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," she played dumb – Mike Chang was off the stage by the time she noticed Tina in the door of the balcony so there was no way they had seen him. "Although, that's one of the most original excuses for spying, if I'm to be honest."

Rachel hoped that it would do the trick – she noticed a piece of Mike Chang's file in Tina's bag and almost rolled her eyes in annoyance. Why couldn't anyone just hide that thing well if they cared so much about keeping the audition a secret? The last thing she needed was a war with McKinley about something that was doomed from the beginnings.

"I've seen his car in the parking lot," Tina insisted. "Where's Mike?"

"It's not my problem that you can't find your boyfriend," Rachel hissed, losing her patience.

The third group was on the stage by then, ready to start. Quinn noticed the ten teenagers and her eyebrows went up immediately. Rachel grimaced, she moved passed the blonde and leaned over the railings to look downwards at her team.

"Shelby, we have company!" she called, interrupting the auditions for the second time this morning. And not the last one, as it turned out later.

* * *

They dealt with Tina and Quinn quickly and without unnecessary hustle. Shelby skilfully threatened the two girls with some more or less specified consequences and refused to give away the presence or absence of Mike, who (as Rachel learned from a short message few hours later), has disappeared as soon as he realised that Tina was in Akron. Curiously enough, in his second message he asked if she could send him a video of their Nationals performance because he wanted to pick up the choreography for the future.

Justin was the only one not to react with anger to the "spying" incident. All he did was taunting Rachel about her "innate ability to attract drama." He had no idea. Jesse texted her few times, asking a series of odd questions about the colour of her clothes for the evening, the last musical they watched together, and even about her opinion about paper napkins. She had no idea what he was planning for the evening, but started to get nervous.

And that brought back her questions about "the other thing" that Justin mentioned earlier. Knowing that trying to get it out of him would probably end in another scolding from Shelby, Rachel limited herself to huffing with obvious annoyance whenever her co-lead was looking at her.

"Hi' my name is Harmony Reigns and I'll be singing "Gimmie Gimmie" from the musical _Thoroughly Modern Millie_ ," a very pretty girl, with a very wide smile which showed off a row of ideally white teeth, announced confidently.

Rachel reached out her hand to place it bluntly over Justin's mouth to stop his ever-flowing string of words. He looked at her with half-amusement and half-consternation, while Shelby went over a standard list of questions. She was one of the names from Shelby's list: fifteen, a current member of Unitards from Defiance, and she looked like Rachel.

And she sounded like Rachel. Rachel pulled off her best show case while listening to the perfect rendition of the song with a dry throat. She swallowed when the girl belted out the last note – a very long note without even a glimpse of weakness – and grinned at them. Rachel's teammates gave a short round of applause, which in itself was telling.

In silence, Rachel picked up her file and briskly crossed Harmony's name off the list. Over her dead body – there was no place for two Broadway divas in Vocal Adrenaline. Daring to throw a sideways glance at Justin's file, Rachel saw him cross the girl's name out with a playful smirk and a shrug of his arms.

All his sins were currently forgiven, Rachel decided.

* * *

 **Shelby's POV**

Shelby watched how another person was entering their stage.

"Hi, my name is Brad Ladecky and I'll be singing Pharrell William's _Happy_ ".

It was the third hour of the auditions. The dancing part flew quickly after the little hell that Rachel has provided the candidates with. Shelby took a mental note to congratulate her daughter on that as soon as they finish: she didn't expect Patrick to pick up the Nationals number for her to present there. She was a bit rusty, if Shelby were to be honest, but luckily, she made it out with grace.

After the small commotion with the two girls from McKinley (Shelby sent the two of them off with a warning, not willing to pick up a fight with Will Schuester at the moment), Rachel has returned to her seat with a determination all over her face.

Brad Ladecky was the tenth person they saw that day. Out of the nine that had sung for them, Shelby decided that two were more that decent and only one worth taking into consideration; the _Gimmie Gimmie_ girl. She had an amazing voice and Shelby remembered her from the dancing rehearsals where she was the only girl that managed to repeat Rachel's routine with the least number of mistakes. She would find herself in Vocal Adrenaline just perfectly, Shelby decided. However, judging from Rachel's almost-terrified expression, followed by Justin's playful shrug, Shelby realised that she was shamelessly outvoted

She looked over Brad's file and nodded her head, leaning forward and taking down the title of the chosen audition song. Not her first choice but let's see what the kid could do.

Not much, apparently, Shelby decided after first couple of verses. Wrong song, wrong voice. Terrible choreography. She sincerely hoped for Brad Ladecky to be the shameful exception otherwise she would need to have a serious discussion with her two leads. Glancing down at the two teens in question, she saw that Rachel was looking straight at Shelby with her finger pointed at Justin, who just shrugged and crossed his arms.

"Stop. Leave. Please, never come back," Shelby threw curtly into the microphone.

The kid looked as if she hit him with a hammer. Rachel and Justin made a show of crossing his name from the list so that he had no doubts about their decision. Seeing that, Brad literally ran out of the stage, making the few people surrounding Rachel chuckle.

The next couple of people, fortunately, were good. Shelby listened to them with care, taking down notes on everything, from their voices, through choreography, ending with their overall stage presence. She noticed that Rachel was doing the same, from time to time exchanging opinions with Justin.

Shelby was observing the two of them from the beginnings of the school year. Justin has quickly accommodated himself in his new position, just like Rachel. They both had strong and sometimes difficult, and, at the same time, very different personalities. For some time, Shelby has been worried that there might be some problems.

However, while watching them work together on the files their first week, she realised that her fears were groundless. As soon as Rachel made sure that Justin wasn't after her leading position, she opened herself to this cooperation. They managed to sort through the stacks of papers in one afternoon. Justin made a great job convincing Rachel to rush after her former teammate and that Anderson kid, despite her personal dislike towards it. Seeing them work closely on their own re-audition, and the fact that they decided to sing together, gave Shelby even more evidence that her choice of male lead for Rachel was correct.

"Hello, my name is Casey Cransen. I'll be singing whatever you tell me to sing. Against her."

The auditorium fell silent. Shelby straightened in her seat to look in shock at the young girl standing in the middle of the stage, looking straight at Rachel. When Rachel realised that the girl was referring to her, she looked around before shaking her head.

"Excuse me?" she sounded more surprised as the rest of the team looked.

"I want to sing the song against the lead."

"No, you don't," Rachel replied automatically, keeping her tone slightly condescending, clearly not taking the suggestion seriously. "For your own good."

People started murmuring between each other, waiting for any reaction and commenting the suicidal tendencies of the girl. Shelby wasn't able to tell if the girl was overconfident or really that good.

Casey Cransen raised her eyebrow.

"Scarred of little competition?"

Rachel opened her mouth when she heard that.

"Oh my God, you _are_ serious," she spoke up, her voice full of astonishment. Just as Shelby guessed, Rachel thought it was a joke. She shrugged and stood up from her seat.

Justin started telling Rachel something in a hushed tone. From her spot above them, Shelby saw that he has opened his copy of Casey's files and pointed quickly to something. Rachel shook her head and picked up the file, responding equally silently. Then she looked straight at Casey, while walking down the aisle towards the stage.

"Since it says here," Rachel glanced down at the document. "That you favour show tunes, I'll stick to that... There's no point in making it more difficult for you than it already is."

Several people cleared their throats, trying to hide chuckles. Shelby wasn't one of them but she still frowned; despite her previous distress about Harmony, Rachel bravely marched towards the stage to face another girl. She was either pretending, or saw something in the new girl that gave her the courage to even make it easier to her. Casey's face didn't change at that comment or the reaction it caused among Rachel's teammates.

"And," she added climbing up the small stairs for the second time this day. "I can think of a very suitable song for this audition, then."

Rachel passed the girl a music sheet asking whether she was familiar with the number. Satisfied with the answer, Rachel passed the music sheet over to the pianist in the corner. As soon as the man touched the keys, she started singing, not giving Casey any time to prepare herself.

* * *

 **Jesse's POV**

When he was entering the Carmel High's auditorium, the last thing that Jesse expected to see was Rachel standing on the stage, singing "Let Me Dance for You" from _A Chorus Line_. He stopped for a short moment, before resuming his walk towards his former director.

"Shelby? What is going on here?" Jesse asked quietly, putting down a cup of hot coffee in front of the woman. "Why is Rach singing?"

Rach finished singing first few verses and looked expectantly at a girl to her left who quickly stepped in and took over.

"She was challenged," Shelby replied absent-mindedly, making notes while the candidate was singing. "Jesse, you're still not staying over tonight," she added as an afterthought, pointing to the cup that he'd put down a moment earlier.

"I know," Jesse murmured smiling at Rachel who noticed him in the audience and grinned. "That's me asking you to let Rach sleep over at my place."

"Why?" Shelby questioned, looking up on the stage. "She's having issues with breathing and articulation. A _chorus_ she'd do, but it's not a solo material."

"She's not bad," Jesse shrugged, not even sparing the girl a look. "My mom's having a dinner party and told me to bring Rachel. I wanted to spend some time with her alone, too, so a curfew would be highly inconvenient."

He smiled when she nodded her head in agreement, continuing to scribble down notes and marking some areas of improvement for the unknown girl. Jesse noticed that she took down also two or three points under Rachel's name. Perfectionist to a fault, Shelby was.

Jesse focused on Rachel again; she was giving her best, obviously showing the overly-confident girl next to her a lesson not to challenge Rachel Berry to a sing-off ever again. And she was doing an excellent job, Jesse noticed, judging from the girl's half-angry, half-regretful expression. Jesse used to have been challenged in the past as well; he was always the one winning the small competition, obviously. Whenever someone has done that, their candidature was almost automatically doomed – Shelby didn't like petty fights in her team (especially as early as in the auditions) so she always voted against them. Jesse cast a negative vote on principle for even trying to undermine his leadership. Rachel and Shelby alone were enough to outnumber Justin – in case he lost his mind.

 _Speak of the devil_ , Jesse thought looking around.

Few rows below Shelby, Justin was lounging lazily in his seat, watching the small spectacle with a bored expression. Jesse moved towards him and was just sitting down when Rachel belted out the last note of the song. Vocal Adrenaline cheered her on when she murmured something to the girl beside her and bowed jokingly. Jesse clapped his hands as well but he froze when he saw Justin pass a twenty dollar bill over to Paula.

"You bet against Rachel?" Jesse asked disbelievingly.

Justin shrugged, rolling his eyes.

"The other looked fierce," he explained nonchalantly, marking her name with a big black plus – he was voting to keep her in, after all. "It was worth a shot."

Rachel was already next to Jesse. She didn't let him give her a kiss or embrace, though; instead, she grabbed her notepad and a pen. She made a quick work of marking her vote next to "Casey Cransen" in the table and Jesse lifted the corner of his mouth while looking over her shoulder.

"She was good," he noticed truthfully. "Are you sure?"

Rachel finally pecked his lips and smiled up to him.

"Yes, she was good, but worse than me."

* * *

Jesse decided to stay until the end of the auditions with Rachel, obediently keeping his remarks or purely sarcastic comments to himself. Fortunately, Casey was the first and the last person to step forward so bluntly. By the end of the singing auditions, Rachel was barely keeping her eyes open, so Shelby had called for half an hour a break just before the first dancer was about to present them their original choreography.

Jesse took Rachel outside to get some fresh air, asking about her first impression and her honest opinions about the candidates. Jesse knew his girlfriend: even though she had certain judgments, her months at McKinley have taught her to keep them to herself in front of other people, but not Jesse. He burst into laughter when she told him – with a dose of embarrassment nonetheless – about throwing some potential solo competition out of the play without no other reason but that. In reality, he had stopped counting the times he had done the same thing to maintain his leadership.

"They are not that bad," she finally stated. Jesse was leaning against the hood of his car while Rachel was sitting on top of it, observing her nails with sudden devotion. "Not everyone, I mean. There was still the Pharrell Williams disaster. But I somehow imagined all of them to be so great and amazing and you know, _talented._ "

Jesse chuckled at the way she almost whispered the last part, as if it was unholy to say the word in the context other than her and Jesse. He saw how ridiculously nervous she was in the morning even though she had no grounds to be. Jesse's done this auditions thing four times and what he's learned during those four times was one thing: the files he got to read through (those that frightened Rachel so much) were all smoke and mirrors. He and Rachel were unique – true talents among a see of more or less convincing usurpers. Coming across another one in Ohio was highly improbable but Rach needed to learn it on her own to truly believe that. Sure, she behaved and talked as if she knew that but Jesse believed it was only an act on her side. However, this day could've been an eye opener for her.

"I told you, you had nothing to worry about," he smiled simply. There was no point in going into detail.

"I know, but it is _Vocal Adrenaline_ , the four-time National Champions, not some McKinley glee auditions. I was sure the level will be really high."

Jesse moved; he was now standing in front of Rachel, between her legs. She automatically threw her arms around his neck and he embraced her waist. It was their thing: a constant physical contact. Even if it was just holding hands, leaning against each other's shoulders or a quick brush of a finger across the other's skin – they seemed to feel the same need to touch each other all the time they've been together.

"So, I've seen a cup of hot beverage on Shelby's table earlier, followed by a very promising nod of agreement," Rachel grinned, changing the topic. "Fancy telling me what was that about?"

"Of course. That was about you not going back home tonight and instead spending the night with a handsome mysterious stranger in his scary haunted house."

Rachel's eyes widened with excitement. Jesse was adamant not to give up his plans for the rest of the day but he was positive she would love it.

"You better tell me what we are doing tonight," she smiled as if reading his mind. "I can't wait until the end of the auditions so that I can finally spend some time with you without twenty or so people around."

"Rachel Berry, are you suggesting that we should just skip the dinner and lock ourselves up in my room? Because if yes, next time you'd better give me a fair warning, I wouldn't go through all the trouble preparing the surprises."

They were interrupted by a sound of someone approaching them. Jesse looked over Rachel's shoulder and saw Casey Cransen who was marching towards them confidently. She was talking over the phone with someone. She slowed down when she saw Jesse and Rachel's intertwined hands but resumed her hasty pace when she hurried next to them and towards her car which was parked few meters away. Looking in the direction of her back, Jesse frowned.

She looked oddly familiar.

"We are not going to be best friends," Rachel murmured looking at the girl discretely.

"No one is telling you to be," Jesse replied, focusing back on his girlfriend. "You have enough friends in the team already, right? And outside it," he added thinking about Jackie and even Kurt. Jesse was really glad that she wasn't completely alone again since he's moved to another city.

His phone rang twice. Jesse pulled it out and looked at the screen; it was Nathaniel, his mentor; he was absent for almost two weeks and was probably calling him to meet up and talk. He was taking this mentorship really seriously.

He answered and asked Nat to wait for a minute. Before he even opened his mouth to explain, Rachel nodded her head and jumped off the hood of his car without a word. She pressed a kiss to his cheek and let Jesse walk away. He smiled in response to her silent understanding.

* * *

 **Rachel's POV**

"Shouldn't you go back inside?" Rachel called out to Casey, who was just closing up her car. The girl's head snapped in their direction and Rachel explained: "We have only three people left."

"Like there's a point in me waiting for the results," Casey barked with poorly hidden sarcasm. "You're afraid of any kind of competition, Berry. I knew, from the moment I heard you in the morning, that you will try to kill in the bud any sign of threat to your precious leading spot."

Which wasn't completely false, Rachel thought nervously. But Casey was completely different matter.

"And you still decided to throw me a challenge?" she was genuinely surprised. "Knowing that I will vote against you just because of that?"

The girl raised her eyebrow.

"I'm not afraid of a fight if I want something, unlike you."

Rachel didn't answer. Casey shook her head dismissively.

She moved next to Rachel who let her pass her without a word, throwing a strand of her long dyed dark hair over her shoulder. Rachel took a quick glance at her skinny jeans and in-fashion crop top which showed off her abs. It was the middle of September and she still decided it was wise to wear clothes that barely covered her torso.

"Yeah, I remember – red panties to an equally brick-red face," Rachel called after her, finally making Casey stop in mid-step.

* * *

In the years of her childhood, Rachel has done many things, which she wished she just could forget. Once she paid some boy to take care of her puppy because she was bored to death after a week of having him. Saying that her dads were disappointed would be a serious understatement. On other occasion, she decided that drinking a glass of wine at the age of eleven just before going to her aunt's birthday party was an excellent idea, not knowing back then that she had the lightest head in Ohio – that memory was why she refused to touch alcohol until Jesse simply bribed her.

But one of the most regrettable and unnerving incidents caused by Rachel occurred just about when Jesse was still oblivious to her hidden crush on him, while trying his best with poor little Casey Cransen, his neighbour. She was few months older than Rachel and had been determined to have Jesse before she had been forced to move to her father's house in Florida after her parent's divorce.

So Rachel did everything she could to prevent that.

"You should've just stuck to your own business, you little brat," Casey hissed at her, looking around to make sure they were still alone; Jesse disappeared inside to building to take his phone call.

It was enough to say that Casey was lucky to disappear on the other end of the country merely two days after the unfortunate afternoon of Jesse's birthday party. And Rachel was fair to assume that the girls will never be friends.

"I didn't like to share," Rachel shrugged. "I still don't, so you better stay away from my boyfriend."

Casey smirked and folded her arms.

"So you finally landed St. James?" she asked with a snort. "Good for you. Enjoy your leftovers from every girl in Carmel."

Rolling her eyes, Rachel turned to leave. It was almost time she was back to finish off the auditions and share some concluding remarks with Justin and Shelby before they pick up the happy eight. Besides, she has heard this argument from so many people for the last couple of months that she's become simply immune to it. No Casey Cransen was not going to disturb her little bubble of happiness.

"So what now?" she asked simply, not without a trace of irony. "You're going to incorporate some evil revenge plan?"

Casey snorted.

"Oh, it's going to be fun this year, Berry."

Rachel hesitated before turning around on her heel to face the girl one more time. She opened her mouth to say something back, laugh or maybe even try to reason with the girl. But instead, she just smiled her sweetest smile and sweetly congratulated Casey on making it into the team.

Keep your friends close, but enemies closer.

* * *

Summing up, the day wasn't the worst in Rachel's life, she thought while standing on the stage with Justin, Shelby and the rest of their team. There were several interesting turns of events: she was sure to hear from someone in the New Directions about Mike and the small incident, and an old 'acquaintance' was hell bound on making her life a living hell (again). But all that faded in the face of the peacefulness of the forthcoming afternoon.

The lucky eight was chosen, waiting to be revealed to the group of teenagers who started to fill out the stage. Shelby was standing with a list of names, ready to call them out to take an envelope with their rehearsal schedule, sheet music to the Invitationals show and a DVD with a recording of their routine for the newest members to memorise and practise before the first rehearsal on Monday afternoon.

Casey was honestly surprised when Shelby called out her name, even despite Rachel's announcement earlier. Justin was holding the envelope with her name on it so he was the one to do the honours. Shelby was opposed to taking the troublemaker in but Rachel assured her that having a "Giselle factor" in Vocal Adrenaline was a perfect way of motivating Rachel to work even harder. No one believed her, obviously, but Shelby just went with Rachel's and Justin's previous positive votes.

Next were two twin brothers, Alec and Joel Daniels, who auditioned separately but took Rachel and Shelby aback with their strong voices and bold choreography. Rachel noticed that this particular choice was met with a certain dose of enthusiasm from the female part of the team. The three other boys, Hunter, Oliver and Rob were called out thanks to their physical abilities, as well: with the loss of Dave, Chris and Jesse, the team needed strong guys to do the heavy lifting, so to speak.

Rachel observed how with every name, the people had almost tears in their eyes when accepting the white envelope as if it was a million dollar check. Even those who entered the auditorium as if they owned it started crumbling under pressure. Rachel wondered if she would look the same if she didn't get into the team in her unique way.

The one but last name was called out and Rachel moved to her right to pass the file to the red-head who was Mike Chang's dance partner in their number: Miley. She totally rocked Florence and the Machine's number and Rachel knew that even though she was a better singer than dancer, a skilful partner was enough for her to keep up.

Harmony Reigns bravely kept up her wide smile while clearly waiting for her name to be the last one. Rachel, who was holding the last envelope, threw her a quick glance before turning her head to avoid seeing the possible expression of confusion, anger or depression forming on her face when Shelby announced Olivia Cain to step out.

* * *

 **I must admit that I totally enjoy imagining and creating ideas about how a powerhouse such as Vocal Adrenaline works 'behind the scenes'. Placing Rachel in the team opened a door I've always wanted to explore.**

 **As always, just leave a word or two behind, pretty please? ^^ **

**-s.**


	7. What Can You Lose

**Chapter 7: What Can You Lose**

* * *

 **Rachel's POV**

Rachel giggled when Jesse's hand tickled her side under her sweater. He immediately took his hand away but didn't stop kissing her. Her only response was to deepen the kiss, her tongue slipping into his mouth. Jesse's hands found their way back under her clothes before resuming their way upwards. Catching a breath, Rachel pulled away for the shortest second only to feel Jesse's other hand pull her even closer against his chest in the confined space of the Range Rover. She opened her eyes and put her hands on Jesse's chest, stopping him altogether. He whimpered in protest but his hands continued to work miracles on her chest and legs, while his lips tried to capture hers in the fierce dance once more.

With a small smirk, she thought that Jesse's mother could wait for another few minutes.

Rachel kissed Jesse again, loving how perfectly relaxing that moment was after her eventful morning. For another few minutes she let herself forget about the uncomfortable position she was sitting in, the fact that the car was parked outside Jesse's house for everyone to see, or that there were people waiting for them. Jesse was the last one to protest when she ran her fingers through his curls to pull his face closer, while enjoying the fastened pace of his heartbeat and quick breaths he had to take not to cease the contact. Her own heart was threatening to escape her chest, while the temperature started to get disturbingly high and all she could think of was getting rid of her stupid clothes.

Oh boy. Definitely not something she wanted to do in the car in the middle of a drive yard.

The song in the radio interrupted their make out session. This time, Rachel pulled away with more strength and grinned at Jesse who finally realised what caught Rachel's attention. He laughed when she turned up the volume.

"Hey, that song is about me!" she chuckled playfully, humming along with the melody of _Jessie's Girl_.

" _And she's watching him with those eyes_ ," Jesse joined her with a smirk, looking into her eyes with a raised eyebrow, at the same time suggestively moving his index finger down her chest and stomach. " _And she's lovin' him with that body, I just know it! And he's holding her in his arms late, late at night_."

Cupping the back of her neck, he drew her face closer again and captured her lips once more. She nibbled at his lips softly until Jesse opened her mouth, letting her in again, their tongues tangling playfully.

A phone rang somewhere inside of Jesse's jacket. Rachel hesitated but Jesse seemed not to harbour any of such concerns. He resumed the exploration of her neck, while the phone kept on ringing. With an annoyed sigh, Jesse pulled it out but didn't pick up. Instead, Rachel felt the device being pushed into her hands.

"Throw it away," Jesse murmured against her skin.

Rachel bit her lip and, without a second thought, she answered the call.

"Jesse's phone, Rachel... um... speaking."

"Jesus, he's in Akron?!"

Alarmed, Rachel pushed Jesse forcefully away. He scowled in confusion but she only shook her head warningly. It was Rebecca and she sounded pissed. Jesse told her that she was trying to call him few times but that she gave up the previous evening. He didn't tell her that he was going home, least that he was going to talk to their dad about her. No. It probably included not answering her calls, as well. Rachel mouthed 'I'm sorry' to Jesse who finally realised who the caller was.

"Yes, he is, Becks," Rachel replied in a more calm way than Jesse's sister.

"Let me talk to him," Becks' voice adapted a more asking and polite tone.

"He's busy," Rachel threw the first thing that came to her mind, prompting Jesse to grin.

He nodded his head encouragingly but on the other end of the line his sister was losing patience.

"So? Tell him to stop whatever he's doing and take the damned phone."

"But I don't want him to stop," Rachel blurted out before she could stop herself. Her eyes grew bigger and she covered her mouth, blushing. Jesse cocked his eyebrow and laughed out loud, simply bridging the gap between them to kiss her on her lips. In meantime, he pulled the phone out of her hands, pressed it to his own ear and cut whatever Becks was telling with a curt:

"You've heard my lady. Stop calling."

Jesse hang up and turned the phone off completely. Rachel covered her face with her hands.

"I can't believe I've just said that to your sister," she laughed but not without astonishment at another short burst of boldness on her side.

"What?" Jesse chuckled and reminded her pointedly. "You've said worse things to Hudson. More than once."

"Yeah, that was to make him suffer for sleeping with my arch nemesis," Rachel pressed her face in the crook of his neck.

"Come on," Jesse patted her back with amusement. "It's healthy to tune down on your cuteness sometimes. Besides, didn't I tell you? Bold Rachel is hot Rachel."

She rolled her eyes but smiled. She was far from shy when she was alone with Jesse but talking about it so bluntly was still way outside her comfort zone. Hearing Jesse's reassurances, she felt a bit better.

"We need to get inside, Jesse, your mother's waiting," she chuckled, trying to calm her breath.

Jesse grabbed her hands and put them on his neck where they were earlier but didn't try to kiss her again. Instead, he nodded his head with seriousness which was destroyed by his next words:

"I don't want to go there," he grinned. "Can't we just sneak into my room and finish this?"

"I'm sorry, _you_ were the one to agree in the first place," she reminded him almost coldly.

"You sound like I had any choice in the matter," he murmured.

Jesse's plane was leaving the next day in the late afternoon. Even though it was so soon, Rachel felt like it was more than just one day since Jesse had arrived at her and Shelby's place the evening before. And she shouldn't forget about the long hours she was to spend with Jesse until his flight. Maybe his weekend visits were not going to be as dissatisfactory as she had previously thought.

Rachel shook her head with resignation. She took her purse from the back seat and opened the car door. Still discontented, Jesse followed suit. He offered her his arm and she gladly accepted, trying to make sure her dress didn't show any evidence of what almost happened in the Rover.

They entered the St. James residence. Jesse explained her earlier that the party was for some of Mrs. St. James' friends who has returned recently to Akron after a few months of post-divorce therapy in New Orleans. Rachel had an unwelcome flashback to another miraculous return that she had learned about that day and she could've sworn that Casey didn't move back to Akron with her father.

"How long do we need to regain freedom?" Rachel asked quietly, looking around and squeezing Jesse's arm tighter.

She was surrounded by a mass of relatively unknown faces; some she could recognise from Mrs St. James' Saturday afternoon teas but the rest of the women were an enigma to Rachel. She never liked those women. Jesse's mom was a nice lady, a little overwhelming and snobbish but generally polite – her friends, though, couldn't enjoy a similar opinion. There were exceptions, of course, but rare.

"Ten minutes and we'll be on our way to the restaurant, I promise," Jesse's hand stroked her shoulders in a reassuring manner. He kissed her softly on the lips. "They all will be gone by the time we're back."

She nodded her head and sighed. They moved in the direction of the large living room where Jesse grabbed two glasses and poured them some water. Fleetingly, Rachel thought that it was certainly this kind of situation in which she would've preferred something a little bit stronger for once. If Rachel had doubts about Mrs. St. James' friends, then it could be easily declared that she really hated those dinner parties. She had a misfortune of participating in four of them only this summer and on each Rachel ended up either bored to death or less than pleased.

Why? The answer came almost instantly somewhere from their right.

"Jesse! Rachel, honey, there you are!"

They both turned on their cue. Jesse nudged subtly Rachel's side to remind her to smile and she grinned obediently. Oh, the small sacrifices one makes for the loved ones. Keeping a strong grip on Jesse's arm, she followed him to the small group of people in the centre. There was Jesse's mother, his father, their closest friends, Ashley and Bradley Chastens, as well as a tall lady that Rachel recognised only remotely well enough to be sure that the woman was the reason behind the occasion: Casey's mom.

"Mrs Chasten, Mr Chasten," Jesse took over the greetings for the both of them. She just smiled and looked pretty – it was safer that way. "You remember Rachel."

Ashley Chasten greeted the couple with a gracious smile, followed by her husband. They knew Rachel for years, almost since she was thirteen. Fortunately, they belonged to the grateful exceptions, that's why responded with the first genuine smile this afternoon.

"Of course, how are you, Rachel?" Ashley inquired politely. "I've heard from Marianne that you moved to Akron from... What was that little thing? Lino?"

"Lima," Rachel corrected her quickly. "Yes, few months ago, actually."

They all laughed as if she had just said a joke. Jesse cocked an eyebrow and kissed the top of her head.

"Oh, they're so adorable, look at them," Ashley gushed over them.

"Weren't they always?" another voice asked. They all turned to look at Mrs Cransen who was standing next to them but it was her slightly mocking tone of voice that made Rachel's back stiffen. "How long it was? Five, six years of puppy faces and silent gazes every time he walked into the room?"

Rachel blushed at the implication and open mockery. Even though the woman was not specific about her target, everyone could tell who the words were directed at. Rachel was used to comments about her appearance, clothes or even bossiness but this was new and more personal than ever.

And it was most certainly not the way she wanted Jesse to find out. She glanced up at him to seek his reaction but all she got was his hardened jaw. Jesse's father scowled, Ashley and her husband looked between them uncomfortably. Jesse's expression screamed fury when opened his mouth to say something but the woman continued.

"It was rather convenient to tie this up _just before leaving_ for another state, boy."

"Excuse me?" Rachel spat immediately, without thinking. She felt Jesse's soothing touch on the small of her back but she pushed his hand away. She shook her head, ignoring four pairs of eyes drilling into her face, grabbing Jesse's hand. "With all due respect, you have no idea what you are talking about."

Jesse's mom finally found her voice but it wasn't the polite rebuff directed at the woman that Rachel anticipated. Instead, she stopped forward and laughed nervously.

"Rachel, honey, you must've misunderstood..."

"Marianne," Jesse's father tried to stop her.

"I don't think so," Jesse interrupted him. Rachel felt how he squeezed her hand, stroking the top of her palm with his thumb. "Apologise to my girlfriend."

He glared at the woman who seemed to get smaller with every second. Jesse's father threw Jesse a cold look that made Rachel swallow hard but Jesse withheld it without problem. He had years of practice.

"Jesse, stop. Alice," he turned to look coldly at the woman. "That was uncalled for."

"Jesse, please, let's just go," Rachel whispered.

The people around them finally seemed to notice the gloomy atmosphere by the hosts and started listening to them with more or less curiosity. The moment Jesse told her they were coming over to attend another dinner part of his mother's, she knew it was bound to end up horribly.

Jesse listened to her. He murmured something indistinctly to the woman before leaving, though. Rachel had no idea what he's said but the expression on everybody's faces gave her some ideas. They hurried upstairs, to Jesse's room. Rachel didn't ask why they weren't heading outside to the car; to be honest, her appetite was gone.

That was humiliating. Not only the words or their meaning, but the tone the woman had used to say them. And Jesse's mother didn't even try to stop her – here was where a sense of betrayal entered Rachel's internal battle. Not that she expected Jesse's mother to defend her fiercely against such comments but trying to pacify her by turning it into Rachel's misunderstanding? She liked to think that Jesse's parents liked her. – what happened with the whole 'last hope' that Jesse had told her about two weeks earlier? And maybe they did like her, personally, but all her good traits paled when faced up against the opinion of their friends, apparently.

Jesse shut the door closed with a loud thud. Rachel flinched at the sound but he didn't care. He was still angry but seeing her spooked expression, his own relaxed instantly.

"It's _not_ how I planned these ten minutes to go," he raised his eyebrows and smiled apologetically. He's promised her a nice relaxing afternoon and failed. Rachel knew he hated to disappoint her.

"They love you, Rach," Jesse spoke up again, after a few seconds. "Especially my mom, you know that. It's just about her stuck up friends."

"I know," Rachel offered him a small smile. "She didn't mean it like that. Or, I at least hope so. I really would hate for her to wait a couple of years to offer me a check when someone more suitable comes along."

Rachel laughed at the joke but Jesse was serious. He was more concerned about the whole situation than Rachel.

"Don't worry, Jesse, seriously. I have you all to myself until tomorrow morning," she said. "It's more than fine by me as long as the door is shut and I won't have to be reminded about that unfortunate time of my life."

She didn't realise what exactly she's said until she saw Jesse's changing expression. But it wasn't an astonishment that she saw but an ironical smirk mixed up with some... discontent?

"Unfortunate time?" He repeated sarcastically. " _Really_?"

She suddenly remembered his unusual behaviour and words from the previous night.

 _I was a fool not to have realised sooner how amazing you are_. It all now just clicked into place. She forgot about the unpleasant situation from the moment ago and focused on the issue at hand, or, quoting her male lead, _the other thing_.

"Oh my god, I'm going to die of embarrassment," she sighed mortified, hiding her face in her hands. "Who told you? My dads? Shelby? I knew letting you two talk when I'm not around was a bad idea."

Jesse chuckled.

"Try my family," he helped her.

Of course.

"I'm going to kill your sister," Rachel declared seriously. It had been hard enough when Becks had taunted Rachel about her crush on her younger brother not to have the girl spill the beans years after in the worst possible moment. Rachel had been planning to tell Jesse months earlier, seriously, but never got round to actually do the thing.

"Stand in line," Jesse joked but without amusement. Then he opened his arms and nodded at her wit ha roll of his eyes. "Come here, drama queen."

She walked closer and let Jesse's arms embrace her tightly.

"We can still go out if you want to," his breath warned the skin on her cheek. He kissed her temple. "Or we can just stay in for the rest of the evening."

Shaking her head, she stood up on her toes to reach his lips. He bent his head slightly and surprised her by lifting her in his arms bridal style before sealing their lips together. He brought her to his bed, sliding on top of her and gathering her in his arms. Jesse knew exactly what to do to keep his promise of making her forget about everything that was bugging her for the past few days.

She made a quick work of getting rid of his T-shirt and he returned the favour be stripping her off her dress. They seemed to get to that point awfully quickly every time they were alone, she noticed briefly before closing her eyes.

"Is it just me or the distance makes me go even more crazy about you?" Jesse breathed out against her neck, leaving a trail of soft lips over her skin. Rachel giggled, mortified at how he was able to think about the same things she had.

"Seeing each other once a month can do this to a girl," Rachel replied, stopping him just to be greeted with a confused frown that turned into a grin when she swiftly flipped their positions and straddled his hips. She had not much experience, sure, but she knew what drove Jesse crazy even more than her herself. They were still in their underwear, and jeans, in Jesse's case, so she leaned over his face and bit her lower lip. He groaned when she pressed her lips to the base of his neck – that was something that drove _Rachel_ crazy; being able to get him to that state – and moved her head just a little, to whisper:

"And while a girl is left alone for that month, she eventually starts browsing Cosmo in search for ideas."

Jesse groaned when the meaning of these words hit him. Rachel rested her palms against his chest and leaned over him again, her hair brushing the skin. She felt his hands climbing up her sides and back, until they were about to unclasp her bra.

Unfortunately, he never managed to get that far due to the loud knocking on the door. They froze in a bit of panic, remembering with relief that the door was locked. Rachel straightened up, they both looked in the direction from which Jesse's father's voice was telling them to let him in. They were ready to ignore him when he knocked again and called through the door:

"Rachel, your mother is here. She says it's important."

This time, ignoring the totally unexpected source of interruption for the time being, they immediately jumped apart and started picking up their things from the floor. Jesse made sure Rachel's dress was back in place before unlocking the door and letting his father in, while putting on his own T-shirt. Rachel didn't wait to see the man's expression when he realised what had been going on before he interrupted them. She ran past him and downstairs to see Shelby by the door. She looked up impatiently when Rachel appeared on top of the stairs, and moved in her direction.

"Where's your phone?" Shelby asked briskly. "That boy from Dalton Academy called me half an hour ago. He said it was important and sounded upset."

Rachel's fluttered her eyes in surprise. Jesse joined them downstairs, looking with a frown between the two females. Rachel copied his expression while trying to decide what happened to make Kurt so determined to reach her since they were still not talking to each other.

"I've turned it down before the auditions. It's still in Jesse's car," she answered with a shrug. "Kurt called _you_?"

Jesse muttered something about the phone and disappeared outside. Shelby shook her head.

"No, it was the other boy, Anderson. They couldn't reach you for hours so he found my number in the Vocal Adrenaline papers that you've given him."

"Rach, there are like twenty voice messages from Kurt and another few from Blaine. And... seventeen texts," Jesse returned with the phone already in his hand. "Some on mine, too."

Feeling that something bad must've really happened, Rachel snatched her cell from Jesse's hands and dialled Kurt's number. He didn't pick up so she disconnected the call and tried Blaine. While waiting for her friend to pick up – hoping that he will pick up – she that saw Mrs St. James was approaching them with worry all over her face. Jesse didn't stop Rachel when she just stepped aside, letting them to answer the woman's questions.

In meantime, Blaine finally answered the call.

"Rachel! Thank God," Blaine threw out of himself with obvious relief. "Can you come to Lima today? It's Kurt... I mean, it's Kurt's dad – he's in a hospital and Kurt would really need someone else here to be with him..."

Feeling suddenly weak, Rachel covered her mouth with her hand. Burt was in a hospital? Shelby stiffened when she saw Rachel's reaction to the news. Ignoring Mrs St. James, Shelby approached Rachel with a question in her eyes but waited until the girl nodded her head, promising Blaine that she will come as soon as she could.

"Thank you, Rachel. Kurt tries to act strong but I can see that he's devastated. I would use someone to help me keep an eye on him."

"I'm on my way," she said without hesitation.

"Thank you," Blaine breathed out in relief.

"I'll call you when I'm in Lima," she promised solemnly before ending the call.

She faced the small crowd that gathered nearby, with worried Jesse on top.

"Kurt's dad had a heart attack," she half-whispered with terror, glancing quickly at her boyfriend. His eyes widened when he heard that and stopped whatever he was telling his mother, who also adopted an unusually sober expression. "Jesse, I..."

"I'm coming with you," he declared with a tone of voice that told her that she couldn't change his decision. "You're too distressed to drive. I'm not letting you go alone."

* * *

Rachel stormed into the hospital with Jesse following her hastily. Looking around, she noticed Blaine hurrying in their direction. Jesse took Rachel's hand and pulled her towards their waiting friend but she let go off his hand as soon as she stopped to hug the boy.

"How is Mr Hummel?" she asked. "And how's Kurt?"

"He's still in a coma. The doctors won't let anyone but the family see him yet. Kurt's in there with Mrs Hudson and Finn."

Despite herself, Rachel hesitated and looked back at an impassively-looking Jesse after the name of her ex-boyfriend was mentioned. Jesse shook his head reassuringly, though, and simply followed her and Blaine to the waiting room.

For some reason, Rachel expected the waiting room to be empty, since Finn and Finn's mother were supposed to be in the room with Kurt, but it wasn't the case.

"Rachel, what are you doing here?" Mr Schue stood up from the chair.

The rest of the teenagers looked up at the surprised question from their coach. Mercedes, Tina, Artie and Mike Change were sitting in a small group, whispering to each other or in complete silence. When she appeared, they all froze.

"Mr Schue?" Rachel stopped as well, looking around the surprised or, in some cases, irritated faces of several of her former teammates. "I didn't know you were going to be here."

"We were with Kurt when it happened," Mercedes explained quietly. She looked awfully tired, and her eyes were slightly red. "An emergency glee meeting."

All eyes instantly wandered off to where Tina was sitting and Rachel understood the topic subject of the sudden glee. The girl lowered her head and decided not to start any discussion, luckily. Mike Chang was sitting with her, holding her hands and stroking the top of her hand softly.

"Where's the rest?" Rachel looked around briefly, with relief failing to notice Santana or any other cheerleader.

"They were here but left," Mr Schue answered. "There was no point in all of us sitting here all day so only those closest to Kurt stayed. Blaine didn't tell us he called..."

"What the hell is he doing here?"

The new voice made everyone jump in their seats of spots and turn behind them to spot an angry-looking Finn, glaring at someone over Rachel's shoulder. Jesse took a step closer towards Rachel and put his hand on her shoulder. Rachel reacted immediately. She raised her own hand and covered his palm with her, stopping him before he managed to move away. He looked strongly at Finn.

"I'm also Kurt's friend, Finn," Jesse said seriously. "And I'm going to stay here as long as I need to support him like we all here do"

Finn didn't look convinced. But to be honest, he was one of very few people present in the waiting room that looked uncomfortable with Jesse being there. Rachel led Jesse in the direction of an empty seat and sat down next to Mr Schue, pulling Jesse to collapse on the place next to her.

Blaine whispered something to Finn and the boy went back to the room, probably to tell Kurt that they were there. He didn't come back though; neither did Kurt, so they waited. After around half and hour, Finn appeared again and told Blaine to get into the room while he stayed with their group. Rachel felt her eyes getting heavier with every minute they waited for anything to happen. Jesse's hands encircled her shoulders and he moved so that she could put her head on his shoulder.

"You should get some sleep," he noticed. "I'll wake you up."

"No, I'm fine," she protested weakly.

"No, actually, Rachel you do look like you can barely keep your eyes open," Mrs Schue noticed truthfully from his place, looking at Rachel's face with worry.

"Come on, Rach," Jesse kissed her temple. "You've been through an almost six hour long auditions, then my mother's dinner and then the ride to Lima. Go to sleep."

Opening her mouth to protest, she changed her mind. Jesse's hard meaningful look told her that any protests were doomed. Sighing, she obediently closed her eyes and let the sweet warmth of Jesse's arms lull her into sleep.

* * *

 **Finn's POV**

Ok, so he wasn't really religious but this week has been crazy – his GC (GC stood for the Grilled Cheezus – having been so helpful so far, GC got himself a cool nickname) has been doing great job of making all the things he wanted to happen, take place. He got back his spot in the team and when the Sam kid dislocated his shoulder, the quarterback position was back to his rightful owner. Finn, that was.

Or the other day, when he swore Quinn was giving him those looks again? Sure, they weren't together or anything but he kind of needed a girlfriend right now to boost his game. Karofsky has been picking on him more often and Finn thought that if he dated Quinn again, the football team would cut him off some slack. So Finn prayed to the Cheezus and voila – she seemed to be all over him again.

Suddenly, the power of faith made Finn think everything was possible.

And seeing Rachel in the waiting room with them, even despite the stupid prick she called her boyfriend (only because she forgot for a minute that she truly belonged to Finn) whose hands were caressing her arms in a soothing manner, Finn knew that he could make _this_ happen as well.

He wanted St. Jerk to disappear. He wanted his Rachel to see reason and realise that he wasn't worthy of her. Finn did his research and what he learned about St. Jerk made him seriously question Rachel's mental health. She, with her prudishness and all, couldn't forgive him one stupid night with a cheerleader but she could overlook hundreds of chicks that flew through the jerk's bed or car?

Finn knew that Rachel herself wasn't a virgin anymore and he still couldn't believe that she did it out of her own violi... voliti... will. Out of her own will, that is. That was so unlike his Rachel. She was always pushing Finn away when they were together. She was barely allowing him to touch her, even when they were making out. She must've been manipulated by St. James into putting out, it couldn't be otherwise – leave it to St. Jerk and he will sway even the greatest and best girl off the righteous path.

Was he forcing her against her will? Maybe she was just trapped and needed someone to help her. She probably pitied the guy and didn't want to hurt his feelings because that was just what his Rachel would do.

Finn didn't care about the reason. He wanted to be the _solution_.

So when no one was looking, he snuck outside the waiting room into the small bathroom to ask for another thing. He wanted St. Jerk to be gone and Rachel to talk to him and return to McKinley. GC was super-cool and effective until now, and he could do this, too.

When he returned, St. Jerk was still there, having a hushed conversation with Mr Schue. Rachel was asleep, covered by St. Jerk's jacket, not to let her get cold because of the elegant dress she was wearing. Only now did Finn see that St. Jackass was also dressed smart, in a shirt and slacks, as if they were interrupted in the middle of a dinner.

No, of course, he will _not_ call him by his name.

Trying to look inconspicuous, he sat near Mr Schue to listen to what they were talking about.

"Six hours?" Mr Schue asked, with an undertone of slight surprise. "For _auditions_?"

"We never complained about the lack of candidates in Vocal Adrenaline," St. James answered with a light shrug, just enough not to disturb Rachel. "In fact, if we hadn't introduced the preliminaries – you know, a dry file readings, meetings with several people to exclude those who weren't good enough to even try out – it would take up the whole day, not only a few hours."

Finn frowned but quickly pieced everything together. That self-centred prick. With his stupid team, and their stupid candidates and preliminaries, he thought he was better than they.

"No wonder, she was barely conscious when you two arrived," Mr Schue glanced at Rachel. He then turned his head to look at Mike Chang who turned his head quickly. "But seriously? Poaching people from other teams?"

Finn glanced at Mike as well. Tina had found a file that allegedly came from Rachel in Mike's things, and along with Quinn, they went to Akron this morning and snuck into the Vocal Adrenaline auditions. They organised a sudden meeting at Mr Schue's apartment to discuss some revenge plan for trying to steal their member. Mike explained them that he didn't go there to actually audition but not everyone believed him, of course. Finn didn't care about that, though. He had his own plan of rescuing their team – and GC was supposed to help him get Rachel back. And if by some chance, Cheezus failed, they already had that weird, short Sunshine Corazon girl and Sam Evans in the team now, so their chances at Sectionals, and even Regionals, were high.

"Shelby does it all the time," St. James answered Mr Schue's last question nonchalantly. "She watches at other teams at competition or scouts middle schools in the area in search of someone extraordinary. That's how she found me before I even went to Carmel and gave me the lead from my freshman year on."

Finn moved and looked directly at St. James, who finally noticed him nearby.

"Your scouting must be really crappy since Rachel was in McKinley for two years," he snickered.

The guy cocked his eyebrow.

"Rach had a co-lead spot in Vocal Adrenaline ready for her since she was thirteen," he deadpanned. "It was her _choice_ not to accept it until you made her. Shame she was so independently ambitious," St. Jerk glanced down at Rachel and sighed dramatically. "The show choir world missed out on a bunch of amazingly romantic and emotional duets."

Blushing furiously, not only of embarrassment but first of all out of anger, Finn jumped to his feet and glared at St. James, catching the attention of the remaining teenagers to focus on the three of them. St. Jackass was doing this on purpose, to boast Rachel as if she was some sort of trophy or the proof of his victory over Finn.

"Why are you even here? You just rile us all up by your stupid comments."

"Oh really?" he replied, his voice dripping with mockery.

Mr Schue cleared his throat, looking around and noticing that, despite Finn's declarations, St. Jerk's presence seemed to bother only him. They were looking between the two boys but no one stood up to support Finn. Finn clenched his fists – weren't his team members the fiercest St. James' haters?

"Finn," Mercedes' voice broke the tense silence. "Can you stop pushing your macho style right now? Kurt's dad needs our prayers not you two fighting over Berry."

"He's the one trying to pick up a fight," St. James scoffed.

"I think it's time for us to go home right now," Mr Schue declared out of the sudden to distract the two boys. "Finn, you should go back to Kurt and your mom."

Finn knew that the teacher was politely sending him away to stop his word battle with St. Jerk. Finn didn't like the fact that even Mr Schue was taking the jerk's side. What was with the guy to suddenly win over the love of his team mates? Slowly, everyone nodded their heads and started picking up their things. The commotion seemed to wake Rachel up as well. Finn turned when her eyes fluttered and she looked around in confusion.

"What is it?" she looked up alarmed. "Is it Kurt's dad?"

"No," Jesse calmed her down. "You can go back to sleep, babe."

"We're going home, Rachel," Mr Schue explained quietly. "You really should go back to sleep. I guess you're going to stay here until you can see Kurt."

"Yes, I will. And no, I don't want to sleep anymore," she shook her head. She straightened up and looked around, as if only now noticing Finn's and everyone's looks on her. She decided to ignore she tense mood, apparently, when she turned to look at Jesse. "Can I get some coffee, though?"

"I'll be right back," St. James didn't spare any of them another look before disappearing behind the corner.

Finn's spirits soared hearing Rachel's question. The coffee machine was far enough from the waiting room to give him some time alone with Rachel. She said her goodbyes with everyone and collapsed onto the seat again, as soon as, their friends left. Finn stood in his place, unable to decide whether it was better to really go back to his mom or stay and take his chance to talk to Rachel.

The decision was made for him, though: someone's phone started ringing and Rachel quickly pulled it out from St. Jerk's jacket and answered without hesitation, moving so that she was out of the reach of his ears.

* * *

 **Rachel's POV**

When Jesse and Mr Schue delved into a small talk about the auditions, she didn't go to sleep despite her act. She felt his hands drawing soothing circles on her back which really helped to lessen her worry about Kurt but not enough to actually fall asleep. She didn't let them know that she could hear the hushed fight between her Jesse and Finn. Of course, Jesse noticed immediately that she was faking but let her get away with it.

Kurt was still inside, not even willing or ready to face them. Good thing at least Blaine was there with him. Kurt was strong on the outside, but as Blaine very well knew, he was a good actor – that's why Rachel was ready to stay behind even when the rest of the group decided to go home. She was also glad that Mr Schue decided to send Finn away – Rachel had enough of the two of the boys throwing glares and sneaky comments at each other.

She had no idea that Finn's feelings for her were that strong. Kurt more than once hinted at the fact that Finn could not accept their break-up even after all these months. Even after she literally moved to another city and found herself a new boyfriend. Normally, Rachel would probably be flattered but not in this case – if Jesse had an insecurity, then its name was Finn Hudson. For many reasons, Finn's unrequited and obsession-like feelings for Rachel being only one of them, Jesse was still worried that she would let him in again and leave Jesse for Finn. As if. She had no intention of getting back with Finn ever again – but she didn't need to give Jesse any more reasons to be bothered by that thought alone, as well.

Finn stayed behind when Jesse and the rest left. She almost felt thankful when Jesse's phone started ringing. She was sure she would rather talk with Becks again, than stay alone with Finn and risk another portion of longing glances and more than obvious comments.

The caller ID told her that Jesse's mentor, Nat, was the caller. Rachel didn't know him personally yet, only from Jesse's stories and she wasn't even sure Nat would know who she was. She was partly surprised, however, when in response to her voice, Nat made an 'oh' sound and called almost jovially:

"Rachel? The famous 'Rach'? Damn, you've got a great voice even on the phone."

Rachel chuckled and, in response, Finn frowned. If she was to be honest, Nat's voice screamed 'gay artistic soul' – if she could describe it like that – for a mile. He even had British accent which just made him even more stereotypical.

"Darling, can I get Jesse? I'm sorry to interrupt your date, I know you two had grand plans... Oh, God, I am not interrupting anything indecent, am I?"

He sounded only half as guilty or outraged as he should, and more than twice cheerful as it was needed, if he had in fact interrupted something. Rachel felt Finn's eyes on her when she shook her head and assured him they were not doing anything and that Jesse was not with her at the moment.

In the corner of her eye, Rachel saw a doctor entering Mr Hummel's room. Sobering up, Rachel saw that Finn followed the man into the room. She turned her attention to the call.

"Something happened, anyway?" she asked.

Nat sighed heavily and she could swear he pouted.

"Yes, love, it's about Jesse's return to the New York. I called earlier and he told me that his flight leaves in the afternoon. And I've just received a call from my soon-to-be-ex – such a lovely bastard, but also so, _so_ bad taste in clothes... Well, he called me that out friend just came back to NY from London, you know, _West End_ , and that he could meet with Jesse but only before noon."

Oh. Rachel looked in the direction of the exit to see if Jesse was returning but grimaced when he was a no-show. The clock on the wall told her that it was half-past seven. She calculated quickly in her head and realised that if Jesse was going to return to New York earlier, he needed to leave Lima at dawn to catch an early flight or just simply go back home without her already tonight.

"Jesse really wanted to meet Andrew – he landed a lead on his third attempt and he's just finishing his world tour, and he's staying in NYC for a day. I know you probably don't want to let that hottie of yours leave so soon, darling, but it's really one-time thing. I promise to make it up to you when you're in New York."

"No," Rachel assured Nat quickly. "I'll tell Jesse to call you straight away. And I'll tell him to go earlier."

Nat let out a relieved breath.

"You are amazing, love," he called out cheerfully. "Thank you. I hope to meet you very soon."

"You, too," Rachel answered truthfully but with an undertone of hurry.

She saw that the doctor left Mr Hummel's room. Then, she saw another movement in the door and, finally, Kurt's pale face appeared in front of her. Exactly in the same moment, Jesse returned as well. He put the cups of coffee on the small table and Rachel gave him his phone back, murmuring silently for him to call Nat, before finally running up to Kurt and hugging him tightly.

"Rachel, I'm sorry I didn't come earlier," Kurt breathed out. His voice was uncertain, he was shaking slightly. "He's still in a coma and they still don't know when he'll wake up."

Rachel released Kurt from her arms. He stepped back and wiped his red eyes, taking one deep breath and letting it out. Rachel couldn't even imagine herself in a similar situation, waiting for hours of anxious uncertainty for the smallest sign of life from her dads or Shelby.

"The doc said that you can go in now to see him. If- if you want to," Kurt added. "Thank you for coming in the first place."

"Of course, Kurt. I'm going to stay as long as you need me to," Rachel promised, daring to give Kurt a small smile. He responded with a grimace, so she quickly sobered. "I'm so sorry."

"Rach?" Jesse's voice interrupted them with hesitation. Kurt nodded at Rachel to go to Jesse, silently telling her that he would wait, and went back to the room to his dad, so she turned to Jesse.

"Screw the West End guy. I'll stay here if you need me," he declared instantly and she realised that he must've called Nat back while she was talking to Kurt.

"No," she protested. "Go back to Akron. Nat apologised enough for this change of plans, you don't have to do it again," she added with a roll of her eyes. "I'm serious, Jesse. I'll be fine."

Jesse watched her for a few seconds before finally nodding his head.

"Okay. I'll stop by your dad's place first to tell them you're in town and explain why, but you should call them too as soon as you can to get them to pick you up."

She nodded her head.

"I will," she promised, looking behind her to find Finn in the door to the room. He just couldn't give up, could he? He was watching them with a gloomy face, but Rachel turned her head to look at Jesse again. "I should go to Kurt."

"Tell Kurt I'm sorry I had to leave and that I hope his dad will be fine," Jesse murmured.

She hugged Jesse briefly but tightly. She couldn't stop a one single tear appear in her eye, when she suddenly realised that the next time she was going to hug Jesse was weeks from then. She swallowed and wiped her cheek, pulling away from him.

"Don't cry. I hate to see you cry because of me," Jesse whispered before kissing her softly. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered back. She sniffed and wiped the remaining wetness off her face. She cleared her throat, stepping slightly away. "Now, really, go."

With the last glance, Jesse was gone. Rachel took a few deep breaths before deciding she was ready to go back to Kurt. He didn't need to see any more tears. Rachel was there to make it easier on him while waiting for his dad to wake up so she should push her own little problems aside.

She hesitated when she noticed that Finn was still standing few metres away. He was watching her in silence but she noticed how he glanced over her shoulder at the door behind which Jesse has disappeared. She was about to pass him wordlessly when he asked:

"Where did he go?"

"He went back to Akron. He has a flight back to New York in the morning," she explained curtly.

"Thank you, CG," she heard Finn murmur to himself. She frowned but decided it wasn't worth asking.

She didn't enter the room, however, deciding that any potentially upsetting conversation should stay away from the patient – and almost every conversation she has had with Finn since their brake-up had a tendency to get turned into a fight sooner or later.

"So he just left?" Finn sounded surprised and slightly angry at Jesse.

Rachel suppressed a mocking reply at his sudden care but resorted only to a shrug.

"I'm not five, Finn. I can take care of myself without Jesse looming over my shoulder twenty-four hours a day."

Finn scowled.

"Then why won't you come back to the New Directions, Rachel?" he fired out of the sudden, making Rachel literally speechless for another minute, which he used to continue his lunatic idea. "St. Jerk is in New York, there's nothing keeping you in Akron. We won't let what happened last year happen again. There would be no slushies and no spying bullshit. We could start over and try to build up the trust from the scratch. I know we can make it work this time."

Finally, Rachel found her voice – but still had no idea what to say to express her utter astonishment at the ridiculous plead. Coming back to McKinley to do what exactly? Carry the team solely on her shoulders until they win for the rest of them to take all the praise? To become a Lima loser again? He wanted her to give up her amazing new life in exchange for a impossible promise that she'd be treated with a proper respect by people who still hated her guts?

And the last two sentences? Rachel would rather not try to interpret them the way Finn most probably meant them. Didn't he understand that she would never trust him and the idea of building up anything with him made her nauseous? Not only romantically – she wouldn't probably even trust him to buy her a coffee, if it could somehow affect her relationship with Jesse.

"Have you completely lost your mind?" she hissed, looking around to make sure no one was coming.

"Come on, Rachel, drop the proud bullshit," Finn mocked her and she really wanted to punch him in the stomach. "We need you more then _they_ would ever need you. They would replace you if someone better appeared in the picture. Just come back to McKinley and let's stop this stupid charade."

"Finn, stop it," she gritted through teeth. "Kurt's dad is fighting for his life, your mother is devastated and you come here to pick up a stupid and pointless fight about glee club? Look at yourself, look at Kurt, and think what he would think of you right now."

Still mad, she marched past him and entered the hospital room, where she was greeted by three pairs of eyes. Rachel swallowed, pale, when she realised that they must've heard the whole discussion with Finn. She opened her mouth to apologise when Finn appeared behind her, his cheeks still red from the emotions. Kurt narrowed his eyes as soon as he spotted his former teammate and soon-to-be-stepbrother. Blaine, who was keeping his head on Kurt's shoulder, raised it when his boyfriend abruptly stood up from his seat.

"Carole," he turned to Finn's mother. "I'm sorry but can I..."

"Of course, Kurt, I'll leave you with your dad," the woman nodded her head. She kissed Kurt's cheek, patted Blaine's arm and smiled at Rachel before looking at her son. "Finn, we should get going. It's late and I still have to go to work tomorrow."

"But..."

"Leave me alone with my dad, Finn," Kurt hissed, losing his patience. "All of you."

Rachel hesitated, she wanted to apologise but she honestly didn't know how. Kurt was hurting so much and she was hurting for him. Deciding that it was for the best, she slipped out of the room quietly. Carole and Finn joined her soon after and only Blaine was allowed to stay with Kurt. Finn was glaring at her from the other end of the room where Carole was scolding him in angry murmurs.

Rachel took a long look at Finn's mom. She was a strong woman, having lost one husband, she was now faced with the thought of losing another man she loved and taking care of two sons this time. Rachel admired how she seemed not to lose her strength and hope after all these years, while remaining a wonderful and warm mother, partner and person in general. It made her feel even more sorry for her because of the display of insensitivity by Finn.

"Rachel?"

She turned to look at Kurt who emerged into the corridor. He gave her a sad smile before hugging her tightly.

"Go home, Rachel," he whispered. "Blaine will drive you back. I will call you tomorrow."

"Of course," she murmured, kissing his cheek. "I'm really sorry for earlier. I..."

"You did nothing wrong, Finn needs to pull himself together," Kurt calmed her down. Blaine's popped out of the room as well, with his coat over his shoulder. Kurt wordlessly returned to his dad's side, leaving the two of them alone.

"I'll take you home," Blaine helped her put the coat on. "Let's go."

* * *

Rachel half-heartedly hoped to see Jesse's Range Rover in front of her home in Lima but it wasn't there. Blaine stopped his car and said his goodbyes, hasty to get back to Kurt. Not wanting to keep him any longer, Rachel quickly jumped out of the car and watched him leave.

"Dad? Daddy?" she called quietly into the house, closing the door behind her. It was late, but she could tell from the muffled sounds in the kitchen that her dads were there. Hearing her voice, they came into the living room and greeted her with hugs and kisses.

Rachel hugged each of them tightly; she had missed them so much even despite constant contact and weekly visits. They sat by the kitchen table, as usual. Hiram looked over at the clock on the wall and said:

"We thought you were going to come home a bit later," he put a cup of hot tea for her on the table. "Jesse said you wanted to stay longer with your friends."

"Yes, we didn't want to call you not to disturb you," Leroy added with concern. "Nothing bad happened I hope?"

Rachel shook her head. She didn't want to go into the mess with Finn that night, so she just explained that Kurt wanted to be left alone with his dad and Blaine, who went back to the hospital as soon as he dropped her off.

"You've just missed Jesse," Leroy spoke up. "He stayed for a little catching up so he can't be that far away from Lima."

"You can call him to come back here and pick you up," Hiram suggested.

"Or we can drive you back to Akron tomorrow," Leroy's voice was more than hopeful. "But I suppose you want to spend as much time with Jesse as you can so maybe I'll just call him and..."

Rachel just smiled and stopped her daddy from dialing Jesse's number.

"No, of course I'll stay," she declared.

Hiram hugged Leroy's shoulders and planted a kiss on his husband's cheek. Leroy responded with a roll of his eyes and Rachel grinned at the adorable scene in front of her. She wanted to be just like her dads in the future, with Jesse. She wanted just that and she swore to herself to be like this when the time comes.

"See," Hiram nudged Leroy's side. "I told you she's still our little girl, no matter where she lives."

Rachel chuckled and jumped to her feet to hug her beloved dads, she kissed each of their cheeks, shaking her head and concluding:

"I will always be your little girl."

* * *

 **Just one question: do you feel that this story is getting boring? If you do, let me know! I'll make some improvements in that case, for sure :)**

 **-s.**


	8. Let Me Be Your Star

**Chapter 8: Let Me Be Your Star**

* * *

 **Jesse's POV**

Jesse yawned. He tossed his jacket to his right, letting it fall onto the chair that he passed on his way to the kitchen in his New York apartment. After a moment of hesitation, he grabbed a coffee pot and put it into the coffee machine before he pulled out his cell and dialled Rachel's number. It was almost eight o'clock but since Rachel and he talked yesterday over the phone until three a.m., he wasn't sure if she was awake already. He decided to at least leave a message to let her know the flight was fine.

Not surprisingly, she didn't answer so he grunted but smiled slightly when the recording of her soft voice filled his ear.

"Hey, babe, it's me," he spoke up. "I'm just calling to say hi and that my flight was fine – and that despite your horrifying predictions, I didn't miss it because I overslept so your conscience is clean. I'm in my apartment already, which wasn't robbed in any way, as well, despite your worries."

Jesse entered his en suit bathroom and started the shower, adjusting the temperature of the water so that it had a subtle coolness to it. Chilly water has always helped him wake up easier. Jesse then put the phone into his other hand and pressed it to his ear again:

"I guess you'll be with Kurt again so you just call me back in the evening or something."

Jesse took off his T-shirt and dropped it to his feet. The corner of his lips lifted when he noticed a small dark spot near his collarbone – a little territorial mark that Rach has left him during the weekend. His thoughts wandered back to his bedroom where he was ready to return the favour before his father interrupted them and he internally cursed at Nat for pulling him away from Rach's closeness prematurely. Especially, after the glares he received from her moronic ex-boyfriend – the last thing Jesse wanted to do was leaving Rachel with that giant oaf alone.

She told him about Hudson's unexpected outburst that resulted in her, Finn and Finn's mother being thrown out from the hospital by Kurt. Jesse's mood worsened even more when he heard about his suggestions that Rachel returned to McKinley and rejoined her old club. He knew that Rach was smarter than that but he also knew that there was the tiniest part to his girlfriend that still felt guilty about betraying the New Directions for Jesse at Regionals. He dreaded to even think about letting his girlfriend anywhere those people and the toxic environment they'd created last year. Jesse observed Rachel ever since she had left Lima and was so happy to see her grow more and more confident. Over his dead body will Jesse let Rachel succumb to their humiliation and disdain ever again. She was genuinely blooming in Carmel, had a bunch of amazing friends in and out of the team who would do anything to help her. Sure, there will always be some individuals in Vocal Adrenaline that will want to push Rachel aside but she was stronger than that now.

Jesse let out a small chuckle when he remembered her story of how she confronted Casey Cransen in the parking lot. Jesse didn't recognise the girl as his old neighbour until Rachel didn't remind him about it. Not that it helped Jesse to dig out from his memory anything more than just her name and that unfortunate jealousy-driven incident which Rachel had caused back then – and which made her the target of Casey's hate.

With Invitationals, Casey's possible "evil revenge plan" (as Rach has dubbed it) and now Hudson's behaviour, Jesse thought that she deserved some peace and quiet. And on his way to New York, he had come up with the greatest idea.

"And I was thinking that maybe I could talk to Hiram and Leroy about letting you come to New York, straight after Invitationals?" Jesse suggested imagining Rachel's thousand watt smile upon hearing his idea – she was hinting at it several times. He had been too busy before but with a bit of work, he could do it now. "I'll try to sort out my schedule so that we are not disturbed by any unexpected meetings, calls or emergencies?"

Glancing at the watch on his wrist, Jesse cursed internally when he noticed that it was late.

"And I really need to go if I don't want to be late... I miss you," he quickly wrapped the message up. "More than you can even imagine and, yes, more than you miss me. No more arguments about that... Think about the trip to NY. I love you."

And on that chaotic last note, Jesse pressed red button on his cell. He had half an hour to take a shower, get some food and drink the coffee, before he was supposed to leave his apartment so that he wasn't late for the meeting with Nat, while trying to keep his eyes open. Maybe, just maybe, staying up with Rachel until the middle of the night was not such a good idea after all.

* * *

The small coffee shop where Jesse was supposed to meet Nat and his friend was crowded with people, as usually at this hour of the day. Jesse arrived a few minutes early, ordered himself espresso, and was almost surprised to see his mentor already there.

Nathaniel, or Nat as he hated his full name, was a senior in the same department as Jesse. Even though his parents came form England and that was where he has spent the first years of his life, he described himself as a done New Yorker. Jesse was first reluctant to work with him as Nat didn't strike him as the most reliable mentor but the joke was on him, apparently. As soon as the second day since he'd found Jesse, Nat made sure that Jesse met the right people and knew the right places. He guided him over the most important information, gossips and guidelines concerning their department, teachers and other students assuring that Jesse knew who to talk to and who to avoid. Then, Nat disappeared for a few days, only to return to New York suddenly while Jesse was in Akron with the news about meeting one of his and his boyfriend's friends who was the newest discovery of the off-Broadway stages.

Nat was sitting alone, sipping on his red tea and reading some book, when Jesse dropped his bag to the floor and collapsed on the chair next to him.

"Good morning, to you, too," Nat grinned at Jesse who just yawned in response. "How was your flight?"

Jesse rolled his eyes. Nat took another slow sip of his tea. Jesse wanted to grab his coffee but didn't manage to actually drink anything before Nat snatched the cup out of his hands. He ignored Jesse's glare and – much to Jesse's frustration – asked some randomly passing girl to toss his coffee into the trash. Jesse scowled and opened his mouth to tell Nat off but his mentor just ignored him, instead giving him the cup that was standing next to him earlier.

"Drink up," Nat ordered Jesse curtly, grimacing. "It's better than this poor excuse of a coffee."

"What is this?" Jesse asked with suspicion.

He lifted the lid to see something that looked like a copy of whatever Nat was drinking at the moment. Shrugging, Jesse took a sip and immediately felt like vomiting. He coughed several times, noticing that Nat was smiling at his mentee with a cocked eyebrow.

"What the hell is this?" he grimaced. He coughed one more time, trying to get rid of the foul taste from his mouth. Just what was wrong with his beloved black espresso?

"A tea," Nat replied nonchalantly. Jesse threw his the 'stop the BS' look so he sighed dramatically. "Family secret. Drink up, we need you to be conscious when talking to Andrew."

Shaking his head and knowing that arguing was futile, Jesse emptied the cup in three big gulps. He just hoped that whatever was in the beverage was legal – or at least not dangerous. Once he was finished, though, Jesse could almost immediately feel the difference; his eyelids got lighter, his body less logy and his mind clearer. Nat just smirked with superior expression.

"Thanks," Jesse murmured. It was more effective than his coffee, obviously. "And to answer your question: make me fly standby again and I will send you to Ohio and make you stay there with my mother and her friends for a week."

Nat's expression turned into a picture of disgust at the mere thought of going to the small, poor, conservative state such as Ohio.

"Why are we sending our sweet Nathaniel to Ohio?" asked an amused voice over their heads.

Jesse looked up to see a blonde guy, dressed casually in a button up shirt and jeans, slipping into the last vacant chair. Andrew. The guy was holding a cup of steaming hot coffee in his hands and drank a little. Jesse opened his mouth to introduce himself but the newcomer just looked at Jesse and smirked and added as an afterthought:

"I volunteer to pay for the tickets, by the way. Just to see that."

Jesse laughed shortly.

"My dear mentee here is just mad because I've destroyed his great plan involving having sex that was not with himself," Nat threw mockingly but Jesse knew him well enough to see that he was just messing with him.

Andrew just raised his eyebrow at the odd banter that occurred in front of him but didn't interrupt.

"And you still owe me for that," Jesse threw in the same jocular tone.

Nat's phone started ringing and their attention focused on Jesse's mentor. He sighed with exaggeration and rejected the call almost immediately.

"It's Jackson," he explained with a roll of his eyes and proceeded to look at his fingernails. Jesse remembered that Jackson was the name of his current boyfriend. "He was supposed to meet with us today."

Jesse frowned. He was about to ask why he rejected the call then, but Nat beat him to it and explained:

"I'm breaking up with him," he shrugged nonchalantly. "I mean, I have broken up with him already, but I don't think he's listened to the voice mail yet... Or maybe he has," he added as an afterthought, but without much more interest.

Andrew choked on the coffee he's brought in with him but Jesse just watched the scene with amusement – it wasn't the first time he's heard Nat have this conversation with his friends. He changed guys like gloves and he's been on his current (ex)boyfriend, Jackson's, case for a few days now.

Jesse could understand that behaviour up to some point – it was almost as if he saw himself from before Rach. Jesse had never been a good boy; he used to get rid of an importunate girl as soon as it was possible when he got bored. In his humble opinion, an easy way out was the best kind of a way out. He was young, ready to escape Ohio without anything or anyone (apart from his best friend, of course, only until she would join him in college) holding him back before he could spread his wings in New York. He had conveniently assumed it was the most successful route for him.

Until he couldn't just stop wanting to kiss the hell out of the said best friend and stay with her for the rest of his life.

Briefly, Jesse wondered how long would it take for Nat to find himself his own 'Rach'.

"Jeez, Nathaniel," Andrew shook his head disapprovingly. "He's my cousin, for Christ's sake, you can't break up with him over the phone! Again!"

This time Jesse was the one to open his mouth in slight surprise. That piece of information never turned up until now. Nat ignored his friend once more and turned to look at Jesse.

"We're not here to discuss me or my social life," he cut short Andrew's another attempt at scolding him. Then he gestured from one guy to the other and conducted quick introductions. "Andrew, Jesse. Jesse, Andrew. I'm going to hit the boy's room and you two try to like each other enough for me to come back to a cheerful conversation about musical theatre. Am I understood?"

And he was gone. He and Andrew sat there for a few seconds, both watching him go before Jesse finally moved. He reached out his hand for Andrew to shake it.

"Jesse St. James," he introduced himself properly this time.

"Andy West," Andrew replied, taking his hand. He looked around and apparently decided to break the odd atmosphere. "So, Nathaniel says you want to be on Broadway."

"Yeah," Jesse chuckled at the simplicity of that statement.

"Good. I happen to know a few useful things about that place," Andrew joked.

From that point on, the conversation flew quickly. Andrew asked Jesse few basic questions which Jesse answered briefly: his interests, experience in performing, any workshops he's took part in. He was mildly impressed by Jesse's long-standing leading position in the best show choir in the country and the streak of victories that happened thanks to him. In turn, Andrew gave him precise answers and entertained with useful pieces of advice or anecdotes.

Halfway through the meeting, Jesse believed that even the standby flight was worth making it earlier to the city for this. Not leaving Rachel but close.

"I've read about your show," Jesse spoke up after some time of listening to another story. "It was a smash. I imagine the competition for the role was huge."

Andrew was silent for a moment and just watched Jesse, as if trying to evaluate him for some reason.

"I started off as a member of the ensemble in Wicked," Andrew shrugged and Jesse arched his eyebrow at that; being even the smallest part of such a powerhouse like _Wicked_ must've been... well, _wicked_. "I got lucky because my friend had a friend whose brother knew the guy... You know the drill. I've spent several months watching the main cast, learning and networking even though hardly anyone could remember our names apart from the number we were given in auditions."

Jesse nodded his head with understanding. Even though he knew that getting any significant role was hardly possible for a rookie, the perspective of struggling and beginning at the very bottom of the food chain was hard to imagine for Jesse, the former star of the show choir world and a four-time consecutive National Champion.

But still, he had long four years ahead of him to prepare for what was coming in the future.

"Well," Andrew continued. "That was at the beginning. When I was ready to move on, I found out about the audition for another small role and used the fact that the director was previously briefly involved in the production of Wicked. I landed another job and got to be the understudy for the second lead. One night, the guy got sick and it so happened that there was another friend of a friend that has been looking for people to cast in new original off-Broadway play. I got it, in the end. Summing up," Andrew shrugged. "You can be the bet damned thing out there and spend the rest of your life in the ensemble if you aren't as lucky as you are talented."

Jesse fell silent after that.

"If you're good, though," Andrew spoke up suddenly. "I could be your luck someday."

At that, Jesse's back straightened immediately in surprise. Andrew noticed this and smirked, making Jesse frown at bit.

"Are you good?" Andrew asked half-heartedly.

"The best," Jesse St. James' infamous cockiness took over.

"I'll let Nat know if I hear about an interesting call," Andrew promised, nodding his head.

The moment Nat's name was mentioned the two of them suddenly realised that Jesse's mentor still hasn't returned to their table. They exchanged quick looks.

"Should we go look for him?" Jesse asked uncertainly.

"Nah," the man shook his head. "He's probably on the phone with Jackson."

"That's how you two know each other?" Jesse asked with genuine interest. "Because he's dating your cousin?"

Somehow, he couldn't imagine the easy-going Nat meeting the collected Andrew on some random get-together and becoming friends if it weren't for someone else's action or connection to someone.

But his theory crumbled under the chuckle that Andrew gave out hearing Jesse's question.

"I wish," it was Nat's voice again.

Jesse looked with a frown how his mentor returned to his seat without any sort of explanation and threw his phone on the table. He acted as if he was really gone only for a minute and nothing remotely emotional or suspicious did not happen while he was away. Andrew opened his mouth, probably to ask the question but Nat bluntly covered his mouth, silencing him instantly.

"That mule over here," Nat turned to Jesse, pointing his thumb at Andrew. "Is be your 'mentoring' grandpa, J."

"What?" Jesse asked disbelievingly. Nat not Jackson never mentioned anything about it in the past. "You were _mentoring_ Nat in Julliard?"

"Yeah, briefly."

Jesse was surprised to hear that Andrew was Nat's first mentor but he was even more floored when he heard the rest of their banter.

" _Yeah_ ," Nat mocked him out of the sudden. "Until you freaking flunked out, leaving me with that lunatic, Madison McKenzie. C'mon, just because I'm gay and fabulous didn't mean that I needed to be her make over machine once a month."

"I didn't flunk out. I _left_."

"Right, just after the dean kicked your pretty ass out of his office saying that you are done."

Andrew didn't have a degree and still managed to make it in the business. Jesse kept his thoughts to himself, choosing to just lean back and observe the two friends from the distance.

He's learned some time ago that when Nat was irritated at something or someone, it was better to stay out of his way, listen to his rambling and nod in the appropriate moments. Andrew must've known about it as well, but it apparently didn't stop him from speaking back to his old mentee and riling him up for the pure sheer sense of enjoyment, apparently.

His phone buzzed against his leg and Jesse pulled the device out, almost expecting to see Rachel's name on the screen but it was Tom, the same guy who Jesse practiced the drama assignment the week before.

 _Are you free? I need a favour_ , the text from Tom said.

Jesse looked up in an attempt to get his company's attention but the two of them were still deep in the silly repartee. It took Jesse almost a minute before they stopped talking.

"Sorry to interrupt but I need to go," Jesse stood up and nodded his head in Andrew's direction. "Thanks for meeting me today."

Andrew stood up as well and shook Jesse's hand, all collected and professional as if the childish bickering with Nat didn't just take place. Nat, on the other hand, grinned at him and waved his hand, reminding him about their tomorrow's "lunch date" (Nat's words, not Jesse's) with some of the upper-classmen. Jesse could swear that most of the people he met during the last month were almost exclusively people that Nat acquainted him with.

Stepping outside into the empty space of Columbus Avenue, Jesse remembered that he had one last thing to take care of before he could finally get some well-deserved relaxation in his apartment. Deciding that the weather was good enough for a walk, he started walking down the street. With a sigh he pulled out his cell and dialled his sister's number, hoping for a chance for a decent conversation with Rebecca.

Since the call that Rachel answered, Becks was a no-show. She hasn't called, she stopped texting him maniacally and, for some reason, Jesse wasn't enjoying the sudden change. His long experiences with his sister taught him that when she became too silent, she was up to something.

"Jesse?" Rebecca's surprised voice filled the speaker.

"Hi, you have a moment?"

He could hear some indistinct voices, shouts and other sounds in the background. Becks told him to wait for a minute and he could hear that she must've moved to some more peaceful room.

"Okay, it's fine now," she declared after few seconds. "Make it quick, I don't have much time."

Ignoring the harsh greetings, Jesse cleared his throat.

"I didn't tell dad anything, Becks," he threw out of himself. She didn't react in any way so Jesse continued. "But I think I can talk him into granting you the trust fund again."

He never managed to finish his conversation with his father before he was forced to cut his visit short, but Jesse was certain that with a bit of skilful persuasion, that would involve a play on his mother's lack of awareness, he would be able to change his father's decision. Maybe that would be enough to stop his sister from this madness.

"Jesse," Becks' voice sounded softer now, resigned even. "I don't need your _help_. I need you to keep quiet about this."

"What?" he barked disbelievingly. "You've got to be kidding me, Becks."

Jesse ran his hands through his hair and huffed in irritation; she was not seriously telling him that she'd rather went through with this fake wedding rather than accepting his help. Apparently, she was as she groaned.

"If I wanted pity, I would've just gone home myself," she hissed. "I can take care of myself."

"Oh really?" Jesse mocked her. "But you're forgetting that your way of _taking care of yourself_ extends onto other people as well, Becca."

"Oh so now it's about you?" she replied sarcastically as well. "Oh, spare me the bullshit..."

"You know what?" it was Jesse's turn to explode. " _You're_ full of bullshit."

She just irked every nerve in his body lately and somehow all his brakes disappeared.

"You turn your back on me, on mom and dad, on everybody – just to feel good about yourself. Dad's an asshole, too, for cutting you off but _you_ are just too proud to accept help when it's willingly provided. And you know what? You can push it all you want but we both know that it's never been about assuring you a comfortable life, but staging the ultimate 'kiss my ass' show. Well done."

Jesse stopped to collect himself but the distinct snort on the other end of the line triggered him once more. He kicked some random empty can and let out a dry chuckle, continuing his rant mockingly:

"Oh, poor, little Becca, with her awful, horrible, parents who wanted her to achieve something in life, with the designer clothes and exotic vacations, and with so much freedom that it's unhealthy. Face it, Becks: instead of trying to seek compromise, you willingly decided to throw it all away on a fling!"

What was wrong with his sister? She was acting up without any viable reason other than the poor excuse about their father and money; Jesse really believed that Becca was less materialistic but it turned out that he was wrong.

"You really think that about me?" Becca's voice cut the silence. "I told you, I don't need your help with our parents. I never needed. What I _wanted_ from you, though, when I told you about everything, was _understanding_. Nothing more. Just my little brother telling me that he would support me, even if he didn't agree with my choices. Instead, you just decided to judge me and lashed out at me without hesitation."

He was glad that he's taken the longer walking route to his apartment because he now could work some of the emotions off on his way home. By the time she was finished, the anger was partially gone from Jesse's system and he listened to his sister's broken voice while biting his lip. He didn't agree with her words but didn't interrupt her either, just waiting for her to finish.

"Becks," he murmured when he was sure she was done. "Me supporting you means me helping you in any way I can. But if you can't accept this, then I think we're done here. Because, honestly, I've spent the last couple of days, either in New York going to classes, or in Akron with my girlfriend, while in the back of my head, I was trying to deal with _your_ situation – something that you clearly don't give a fuck about. I'm tired. _Good luck_."

He hung up and almost immediately dialled another number. He waited for a few seconds until a female voice answered.

"Mom, we need to talk."

* * *

On Monday afternoon, Jesse walked into the studio to begin his last class that day. With his eyes glued to the screen of his phone, he took his usual place in the back row and continued to type back his lengthy reply. He and Rachel were in the middle of a heated discussion about the newest trend of reviving old Broadway productions instead of creating fresh, original works. Rachel was a strong supporter of this idea, claiming that it gives some young actor (meaning Rach) a chance and a strong opportunity to realise their (her) dream of playing their (her) favourite parts in the future (which in Rachel's case would be Fanny, Evita and Laurey). While Jesse was the last person to deny Rach her dreams, he would be more satisfied with having originated some character and watching it become iconic.

As he suspected, she had spend the entire Sunday in the hospital with Kurt and Blaine so the first form of contact they had were sporadic texts since this morning. She was thrilled about his proposition of coming over to New York next week – and Jesse was really hoping for Shelby to agree.

After he called his mother, the hell broke loose. Jesse tried to keep as much distance as he could after explaining the details to his parents and telling that he wanted to be left out from this for as long as possible. Having stirred the schism of his family, he dreamed of having his _other family_ as close as possible.

Unfortunately, Shelby was less enthusiastic about his idea. His old director didn't give Rachel a straightforward answer when she asked and they both knew what that meant: the next time he would see Rach would most probably be on Thanksgiving unless they would find some free time that would agree with both of their busy schedules.

But that problem belonged to the abstract future. For now, not losing their good mood, however, they indulged themselves in their half-hearted discussion that Rachel was struggling to win.

 _Don't even try to argue, Jesse_. She wrote back almost immediately. _You would die if they casted you as Phantom, or even Danny_.

 _Of course. But it doesn't mean that I wouldn't rather try to use my extraordinary talents to create a character from the scratches so that I would be forever remembered as the first to play it, not another revival casting match_.

 _Phantom, Jesse. Phantom!_

Jesse chuckled, making several people around look at him apprehensively. They weren't used to hearing him laughter since, while not being rude or a total loner, Jesse preferred keeping to himself and talking only during classes or when addressed by someone else.

Looking over at the clock, Jesse realised that the workshop was about to begin. Even though it was almost October, it was the first class in this semester since the teacher has been forced to prolong his stay in Europe until now.

Jesse has heard a lot of stuff about that man, both good and bad. According to Nat and some other people, he was the second most important person in his department and making him irritated was something Jesse, and anyone really, would regret instantly. If you were good and hard-working, however, the same man would make sure that your career soars as soon as you were out of school.

 _Baby, I need to go. I will call you after VA rehearsal._ Jesse wrote.

 _You better! I was winning this argument. I love you._

 _I love you more_. Jesse typed back and, lifting the corner of his mouth, added: _And_ I _was so winning_ _this_.

"Good afternoon, class. My name if Richard Harrison, and I'll be your Voice instructor for this semester. Having said this, let's get down to business."

Jesse's head snapped in the direction of the owner of the new voice. The man, fifty-something short and dark-haired, walked up to the centre of the studio and threw them all a long, evaluating look. Jesse frowned but remained glued to his spot like the rest of his class, ignoring the prolonged silence. The professor's eyes moved over every single face – and with each face, Harrison nodded his head before moving his eyes onto another person. People around Jesse were raising their heads, or letting a small relieved breath when they realised they were off the radar.

Jesse cocked his eyebrow at these reactions and frowned, until the eyes of the professor stopped on him and stayed there for longer than the usual three seconds. Not knowing what was going on, Jesse moved in his seat but remained silent, ignoring the curious looks that others started throwing in his directions.

The man wasn't going to throw his out for texting with Rachel before class, wasn't he? Jesse thought, still having no idea what caused the slightest frown visible on professor Harrison's face.

"Can you stand up?" the professor asked finally. Jesse obeyed without a comment. "What's your name?"

"St. James, sir," he stated immediately. Maybe it was a good thing actually, he managed to get the professor's attention in one way or another, at least. "Jesse St. James."

"I don't remember you."

Jesse blinked. In the corner of his eye, he saw that a guy next to him smirked and in front of him, some girl threw him an apologetic look. The rest, however, was still wearing as confused expressions as Jesse.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"I've personally auditioned every person in this room," Richard Harrison explained simply. "For some reason, I don't recall your audition, Mr St. James."

His words caused another wave of frowns, exchanged glances and smirks. But mostly, the people around him were exchanging looks with curiosity written all over their faces. Jesse considered the teacher's words for a few seconds, trying to ignore the stared. He never thought it was important to share with anyone the special circumstances of his late admission to Julliard. Judging from the confusion he caused, it seemed like it might become a slight setback, though. He hoped it was not the case; the last this he needed right now was college problems to add to Becks.

"Due to my mother's illness, I wasn't able to make it to the auditions," Jesse tried to keep his voice neutral but strong. "The admission board agreed to reconsider my application based on my Show Choir National Championship performance."

"When was that?"

"Early May."

Harrison considered his answer in silence for few seconds.

"I've been in London by then," he nodded his head, saying the words more to himself than to them.

He fell silent for another couple of seconds during which Jesse started feeling really uncomfortable. He swallowed, trying not to show that the calculating glare was making him actually _nervous_.

"It's not that I don't trust my colleagues' decisions," Harrison finally spoke out and the doubtful tone of his voice told Jesse that whatever was going to follow wouldn't be very nice.

He was not disappointed:

"It's more about the fact that I would never even consider letting them pick me a Christmas card, not to mention letting them decide about a student that I did not personally approve of. Step out."

Even though no one dared to open their mouths, the silence that fell over the studio was telling in itself. Jesse didn't hesitate, though. He's been accepted by people who knew what they were doing. No matter how important Harrison was, he couldn't just kick him out if he could sing.

And Jesse St. James _could sing_.

Jesse stopped next to the older man, facing the small audience made up of his classmates. Some were looking bored, some sympathetic and one of the girls even dared to give him a smile.

"I don't have any wishes or pet peeves – as long as you sell yourself well," professor Harrison declared, moving so that he was leaning against his desk. He grabbed his notepad and a pen. "Whenever you are ready, Mr St. James."

Jesse didn't have to wait long. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to sing the first tones of the song. He's heard it some time ago and it was always reminding him of Rachel. And given everything that Rachel has done to assure him that last chance audition, if there was a song that would be perfect for a moment like this – it was this one.

 _Fade in on a girl with a hunger for fame._

 _And a face and a name to remember._

Jesse closed his eyes and smiled, giving in to the music in his head.

 _Her smile and your fantasies play a duet_

 _That will make you forget where you are._

 _The music starts playing, it's the beat of my heart saying:_

 _Let me be your star._

It wasn't a song that Jesse would pick up usually but he couldn't stop himself from taking the "Rachel route" for once: putting as much emotion into his music as he could. He watched his Rach all summer, how she took every chance to amaze people with her singing and dancing, just because she loved doing that, not because she was told to. Though Rach would never admit it out loud, it was her own personal rehab from Shelby's rigorous rehearsal schedules and perfectionist-like precision that she required from her performers.

His voice grew stronger as he opened his eyes for the first time. He took in his class' faces, moving his eyes from one person to another.

 _Flashback to a girl with a song in her heart,_

 _And she's waiting to start the adventure._

 _The fire and drive that make dreams come alive,_

 _They fill her soul, she's in control._

 _The drama, the laughter, the tears just like pearls –_

 _Well, they're all in this girl's repertoire._

 _It's all for the taking, and the magic we'll be making;_

 _Let me be your star._

Jesse used this time to observe Rachel's undisputed talent in the open and how she thrived in people's admiration that didn't necessarily came from her voice but the way she performed. That was something _magical_ to watch.

He wasn't surprised to hear and see the applause. He let out a breath while professor Harrison nodded his head but didn't join in on the general cheering. Jesse was confident, he did well.

"You're free for today," the man addressed the class. "For the reminder of the semester, we'll be meeting individually. I'll post the list with names by tomorrow morning. If there are any problems with your availability on the assigned dates, _I don't care_."

Jesse returned to his seat to grab his bag when he heard a voice calling his name.

"Mr. St. James, a minute, please."

Professor Harrison handed Jesse a page filled with a deliberate notes on his song. One fleeting glance at the list assured Jesse that the man was either unhealthily meticulous or simply mean for having been faced with someone else making the decision for him.

"I'm listening," Harrison sat on the edge of his desk, encouraging Jesse to speak, seeing the slightest grimace that must've appeared on his face.

Jesse cocked his eyebrow.

"I deserve to be here," he said, trying to contain the undertone of irritation. "I would've passed your normal audition."

The man didn't say anything just nodded his head but not in agreement – it was neither a 'yes' nor 'no' and Jesse couldn't get through the man's impassive expression. Recognising his cue, though, Jesse turned to leave the studio but stopped in the doorway and turned again. Harrison looked up questioningly.

"Yes?"

Jesse threw the last glance at the list with the man's assessment in his hand.

"How much of this," he lifted the piece of paper. "Is an actual constructive criticism and not just picking on me?"

"That, Mr. St. James," Harrison started walking towards him. "Is your assignment for the week: go through the list and tell me what is and what is _not true_ when we meet next time."

* * *

Still experiencing mixed feelings, Jesse strode the corridor towards the exit. He played the cocky card and felt like it paid off for the time being. He was at least sure that the man was not going to be on his case for the rest of the year, luckily. It was really the last thing he needed at the moment.

Until now, Jesse could truthfully say that he enjoyed every minute spent in this city, this building and with those people, even though the number of his actual acquaintances was rather limited and included Nat, few of his friends and Tom from the drama department – who was waiting for him few meters away.

Tom jumped to his feet when Jesse approached him. Shoving the list from Harrison into his bag, Jesse looked at him expectantly.

"How was your weekend with your girl, huh?" Tom asked instead of a greeting.

Jesse threw him a sideways glance. He didn't recall telling anyone apart from Nat that he was going to Ohio.

"Stalker much?" he asked, coking one eyebrow.

Tom rolled his eyes.

"We're _Facebook_ friends," he explained with a shrug. "Your girlfriend posted some pictures of the two of you."

Oh. Jesse didn't see the said pictures but he remembered playing with Rachel's phone during the auditions and during the break. She was the one responsible for their social network life and Jesse was happy to leave it in her hands.

They caught the cab to avoid being drenched in the heavy rain that ruled over the city. When some time later Jesse was opening the door to his apartment and letting Tom first, his phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a text from Rachel:

 _She said no *sad face*. But I will see you on Skype tonight?_

Sighing, Jesse shook his head with resignation but typed back instantly that he couldn't wait.

"Okay, I'm going to say this again," Tom looked around, pulling Jesse out of thoughts. "An apartment in Manhattan is sick."

" _You_ _live_ _in Manhattan_ ," Jesse reminded Tom pointedly.

"In the dorms," his friend replied instantly. "With hundreds of other people and a roommate who I'm almost sure wants to kill me in my sleep."

"Sorry, love, but we're not there yet," Jesse mocked Tom. "I think we should at least sleep with each other twice before I let you bring in your stuff."

Tom glared at Jesse but his expression changed when he frowned:

"Why twice?"

"I'm not usually letting my one-night stands move in with me," Jesse deadpanned.

He told Tom to wait for a minute while he grabbed a bottle of water for himself and Tom. Heading back to the living room, Jesse wondered how easily it was for him to joke around with a guy that he, if he was to be honest, didn't really know. Tom seemed to be a nice guy, if you looked past his slightly snobbish and arrogant personality as well as the constant know-it-all attitude. But, seriously, who Jesse was to be irritated by something that he himself was famous for?

The last time he hit it off with someone that easily (apart from Rach, obviously) was Kate and that ended in some kind of odd, bizarre friendship between them; one to end up just as abruptly as it started when she almost literally went MIA on them no longer than a week after graduation.

This time he was sure not to end up hooking up with that person, though. That would be the first – and a definite relief for his Rach. Jesse suppressed a chuckle.

"So, what'd you got for me?" Tom asked accepting the drink.

In a desperate search for distraction, Jesse called Tom about his message as soon as he was done talking with his father. Apparently, Tom was planning an anniversary dinner with his girlfriend and decided to take advantage of Jesse's immerse music collection and knowledge. What Tom wanted from him, provided Jesse with a comfortable excuse for not thinking about his sister. He agreed immediately.

Jesse produced a stack of CDs that he's prepared for Tom the day before. Each was complemented with a short description as to the possible setting in which it could be useful... For Jesse's defence, Tom didn't give him much detail and he had to work out most of it on his own. From his experience, Jesse knew it was better to be prepared for every possibility.

"I want them back by Thursday," Jesse reminded Tom. "Some of those are Rachel's and you don't want to mess with _her_ music collection."

"Why do I have a feeling that she's somehow scarier than you?" Tom threw jokingly but Jesse didn't join him in the joke.

"Well, she is," he shrugged seriously. "So you better make sure she has her music back in an ideal state."

* * *

 **Rachel's POV**

The VA rehearsal on Monday wasn't as gruelling as Rachel expected even thought it was almost eight o'clock when Shelby let them go. It was the first rehearsal with the new members of the team, though, so Rachel's mother decided to keep them an hour longer than usual to make sure everyone was doing fine with the number for Invitationals on Saturday.

Even though Invitationals weren't the official part of the show choir circuit, Shelby always made sure that her team was top notch. She perceived it as important when it came to establishing the forthcoming prospects for Sectionals and wanted Vocal Adrenaline to set the expectation bar as high as possible. Hence, the long and exhausting practices. They were performing only one number and she got the solo all to herself. It would be the first time she would be on the stage with Vocal Adrenaline without any other voice to steal the spotlight from her.

It was both scary and so, _so_ exciting.

Shelby told Rachel to meet her in fifteen minutes by her car so the girl skipped the shower in the locker rooms. Her car was still at Jesse's house where Jesse left it before he went back to New York. Knowing about the tight atmosphere in Jesse's family house, Rachel decided to wait a couple of days before picking the Rover from there, not wanting to bother anyone unnecessarily. Or that was what she told herself.

Waiting outside by the car, Rachel waved her hand to several of her teammates, saying a lot of cheerful 'goodnights' and 'byes' and 'see you tomorrows' before she decided to pull out her cell to call Kurt. His dad was still in the hospital but Rachel knew for a fact that Carole didn't let Kurt spend the entire afternoon in the hospital so she was pretty sure he would be at home and free to talk. She was right.

"Hi, Rachel," he sounded even more exhausted than the day before while he answered her obvious question without prompt. "Nothing new."

Her heard cried in sympathy for Kurt.

"How are you holding up?" she asked in a small voice.

"The same. Blaine's been here earlier but had to go home. How are you?"

Rachel smiled lightly when she realised that Kurt didn't want to talk about him. Following his indirect request, she started telling him about her day and rehearsal. In meantime, Shelby emerged from the building and Rachel saw the woman pushing the alarm code on the entrance to the auditorium before she was ready to leave.

Kurt had promised earlier to come to the Invitationals but she didn't really expect him to appear now.

"Don't be ridiculous," Kurt snorted when she mentioned that he didn't need to come. "I'll be there if only to point out what I didn't like."

"I'm really glad to hear that," Rachel chuckled softly. "I need someone to motivate me to work harder."

"I can always suggest Finn to go and drag the glee club with him, if you so dramatically need someone to criticise you."

She rolled her eyes but didn't voice her fear that's been following her all week: one in which she suspected to actually spot her former teammates in the audience next weekend.

Shelby's apartment wasn't that far from the school and, since the traffic at this hour was almost non-existent, Rachel was still in the middle of telling Kurt about her and Justin's idea for the perfect set list for Nationals this year when they were back home.

She put down her duffel bag on the bed in her room when she heard Kurt gasp shortly and she frowned in silent concern until she heard his next words:

"Oh, speaking of Finn," he began with a clear annoyance in his voice. "You will not believe what he has been doing all week."

Rachel wasn't really curious about his ex-boyfriend's life but she grunted incoherently in response listening to Kurt's words, especially that he seemed to be both extremely mad and _amused_ by whatever Finn was up to. With every word that fell from her friend's lips, Rachel couldn't stop her jaw hitting the floor when Kurt finished talking about Finn's newest (and most ridiculous so far) idea of praying to a slice of a grilled bread.

"He did what?!" she called with astonishment but not without a dose of amusement.

That boy was way out of his mind, apparently, as he believed that whatever good happened over the past week was thanks to a _sandwich_.

"This new Sam kid dislocated his shoulder during game and Finn went back to being the quarterback. He just assumed it was because he prayed to this... _thing_ ," she could practically tell that Kurt rolled his eyes in this moment. "Oh, and he decided that Quinn wanted to get back together with him – also because he asked a grilled cheese for it."

Rachel suppressed a sigh when she heard that. She always knew that Finn wasn't the brightest crayon in the box but that was just beyond everything else he has ever done.

"He ate it finally this morning, thankfully," Kurt added with obvious relief. "But can you even _imagine_? My dad ended up in a hospital and he spent his week talking to a grilled slice of bread?"

"Your dad will be fine," she assured Kurt with full conviction. "And Finn's mom seems to help a lot, right?"

"Yes," Kurt breathed out. "That woman must possess some serious superpowers. As far as I am concerned, the two of them can get married already."

Rachel laughed at the enthusiastic tone Kurt used to express his wish.

"Oh, wait, I didn't tell you the best," Kurt called out with another humourless chuckle but also with some odd tone to his voice.

She almost held her breath while Kurt took his time to keep her in anticipation. Then, after ten seconds or so, he finally threw it out of himself:

"He believes that it was thanks to him that Jesse went back to New York earlier because he asked the bread for it when he saw you two together."

Stunned, Rachel opened her mouth for the second time, this time remaining speechless until a disbelieving snort escaped her mouth. _What_?

"Well," Rachel found her voice finally. She collapsed on the pillows on her bed and shrugged, looking up at the ceiling. "He owes me around eighteen hours and a date with my boyfriend, then."

She heard Kurt sigh and then his next question:

"How is this whole long distance thing going for you anyway?"

Rachel sighed. It was the first time Kurt asked her about Jesse living in New York since the school year began. He knew that it wasn't easy for her, even though she tried not to show it openly to anyone. She wasn't too happy to talk about it now but if it helped to keep Kurt's mind off his dad, she would go for it.

Her hand reached to her nightstand where she kept a picture of Jesse and her from the last year prom. It was one taken by Andrea during the dance. They had no idea anyone was taking any pictures; Rachel and Jesse were on the dance floor, swaying slowly to the melody with their eyes locked on each other's face.

"It depends," Rachel replied with a small smile playing on her lips. "There are days that I hate New York and Julliard for being so far away. Especially when I see my friends making plans together or hear the girls from my team describing their dates. Even Justin – he's my male lead this year – he thinks he's so smart, sneaking around with our teammate, Bri, while they couldn't be more obvious. In those moments I just wish that Jesse was in Akron to do all this stuff with me."

Rachel put the picture back on its place and opened her mouth again.

"But then," she continued. "To be honest, it's not like me and Jesse has never been apart in the past. We were living in different cities, went to different school and had different responsibilities. We would meet quite regularly but there were also times when we weren't able to see each other for weeks because of our busy schedules. If you think about it, it's pretty much the same when he's in New York. We talk to each other every day, tell about each other's days, and it's as good as it can be."

"I admire you," Kurt sighed. "Seriously. I don't think I would be able to pull it off if it was me and Blaine."

She smiled to herself, ready to assure him that he and Blaine were so in love with each other that any time spent apart wouldn't hurt their relationship, when she heard a knock at her door and Shelby's opened the door, telling her that the dinner was ready.

"Go," Kurt told her without hesitation, obviously realising that she needed to go. "I want to see Carole giving a piece of her thought to Finn for that bread."

Rachel giggled.

"I want a full report the first thing in the morning."

* * *

 **Here I am with the newest [and slightly delayed due to the Easter break] chapter!**

 **I hope you enjoyed it and if you have - you know what to do (but if you don't I'll give you a hint: it starts with a 'R' and makes my day every time I see one) ^^**

 **-s.**


	9. Ten Duel Commandments

**Chapter 9: Ten Duel Commandments***

 **Rachel's POV**

"Jackie! Just the person I needed to see," Rachel called in a singing voice.

She caught up with Jackie and took the book out of her friend's hands. Jackie watched Rachel with a bit of uncertainty – it was totally unlike Rachel Berry to carry someone else's books for them, right? – when the girl just continued their walk through the halls of Carmel.

Rachel smiled and nodded her head in response to the greetings she received on the way. Jackie was probably still waiting for Rachel to explain her odd behaviour so Rachel politely obliged:

"By any chance, are you free today afternoon?" she asked.

For the past few days, Shelby was driving them all crazy with her unreasonably late rehearsals that left not only Rachel but the whole team breathless by the end of the day. It wasn't even only about the Invitationals these few days: as soon as Shelby decided that everyone was doing fine with the number, she announced that they were going to work on the Sectionals performance already, and Rachel was faced with a completely new set of possible choreographies and songs she was going to sing.

It left Rachel in a slight predicament; she had barely time to catch a breath during the week. By the time they were done with rehearsals, it was too late for visits at anyone's houses and she _finally_ needed to get back her Rover which she still didn't pick up from Jesse's family house. She thought that if she called Jesse's mother and told her that her friend would come to take the car, Rachel wouldn't have to go there herself.

"Well, I'll be probably shopping for the dress for the Homecoming dance," Jackie complained.

Pushing her earlier inquiry aside, Rachel focused on the new piece of information.

"Homecoming?" she questioned Jackie.

She realised that, having been too focused on rehearsals, she completely failed to acknowledge the small events and celebrations that have been taking place in Carmel since the beginning of the week.

"Yeah," Jackie nodded her head. "The dance is on Saturday. Vocal Adrenaline's performance is a part of this year's homecoming schedule. I thought you knew."

"Shelby cares about the show, not the purpose," Rachel explained matter-of-factly. "I didn't even know there was a dance."

She looked around and, as if for the first time, saw many colorful posters plastered on the walls. Of course, it was the homecoming week. But she never realised that it would include a school dance. Due to Figgins' ever-present deficits of funding and coach Sylvester's overboard spending on Cheerios, such events in McKinley were limited to the "necessary evils": proms. Carmel, clearly, had no problems with celebrating other events with dances as well.

They entered Mr Towell's classroom. The teacher threw them short glance and returned to his newspaper. Since Rachel's eventful first algebra class, Rachel retained a neutral relationship with the man but tried to stay as prepared as she could in case he suddenly decided to push her through his trials again. And her cell was safely tucked in the back of her bag.

They sat on their seats just in time for the teacher to start. Turning away from Rachel, Jackie opened her textbook and focused on the pages in front of her. Looking to her right, Rachel sighed when she saw a lock of blonde hair covering Casey's face.

Considering Rachel's luck and ability to attract drama, Casey Cransen was a junior, too. She was attending almost every class with her – just what she needed right now. One thing was strange, though. The girl had made it clear that she wanted a payback but didn't make a direct move yet. Rachel could often feel Casey's eyes on her back during rehearsals and afterwards. In truth, after their unfortunate meeting after the auditions, Rachel expected something more from Casey, but all she got was a cold shoulder. Casey refused to as much as acknowledge Rachel's presence in the same room. Like in the algebra class, when she mockingly cocked her eyebrow at Rachel when she caught the girl watching her from her spot next to Jackie. Despite the uncertainty, Rachel was the last to complain.

It could have something to do with the amount of time spent in the auditorium, as well.

The girl obviously never attempted anything with the team around – their enthusiasm about Rachel being their star was clear and anyone trying to undermine her position would be met with a wall of support for Rachel. As far as the team itself was concerned, Briana and Justin were the only ones who noticed that something was off with the two girls. Rachel had no problem sharing the general outline of the situation to them, just to make sure that they kept an eye on Casey as well; she didn't feel like facing another Santana-Quinn-hybrid all by herself. So, having a group of people behind her, Rachel remained relatively calm and was sure that she was off the radar for the time being.

Rachel's attention was caught by Mr Towell who stood up and started his lecture. Deciding that it was easier to just concentrate on numbers, Rachel's hand sprang into the air without hesitation to answer the question. Towell nodded his head and no one but Rachel heard the mocking 'show-off' coming from somewhere to her right.

Blushing angrily, Rachel sank in her seat.

* * *

"So, are you coming?" Jackie's voice betrayed that she hoped for Rachel to be there. "It would be awesome. My boyfriend cannot go because of his stupid family trip."

Rachel grimaced. She felt sorry for Jackie. As a reporter for the school newspaper, she was required to attend every major school event and, having been told to go to the Homecoming dance, she probably didn't want to spend the whole evening alone, since her date bailed on her.

"Um, I don't have a date?" she replied, grimacing when she realised that she made it sound more like a question. "My boyfriend lives in New York, remember?"

"I've heard Oliver wondering if he could invite you..." Jackie fired with a shrug.

Forgetting for a minute about her earlier predicament, Rachel froze in her spot, staring at Jackie with slight consternation.

"But, then," Jackie continued, ignoring the semi-shocked look Rachel was giving her. "I've also heard Justin telling him that Jesse would sooner fly all the way from New York to threaten his manly parts than let him go anywhere near you."

Oliver was one of the dancers that got into the team this year – Rachel has already suspected that he might have had a crush on her since he was unusually nice to her during and after rehearsals. But, having this piece of information confirmed in a way, it made Rachel feel uneasy. She shouldn't over-think this too much – it wasn't like she was cheating on Jesse if some guy liked her – but having another unwanted admirer was not something she wished for. Plus, Justin was right – Jesse would definitely put on an overprotective boyfriend act, even if she straightforward rejected the invitation.

"Or we could go solo together," Jackie suggested, still bound on somehow making Rachel go to the dance for some reason. "Free snacks and dancing."

If it was up to her alone, Rachel would agree but, fortunately, she had other plans.

"I can't go," Rachel apologised truthfully, speaking for the first time since Jackie broke the news about Oliver. "Kurt and Blaine are coming to Akron."

Rachel finally managed to get Kurt come to Akron for the weekend. Seeing how stressed out Kurt still was, she talked with Shelby and called Finn's mother to ask for a favour and help with convincing Kurt to come. She wanted to make sure he unwinds at least somewhat after the stressful week and his dad's heart attack. Mr Hummel woke up and was released three days earlier and Kurt has been taking care of him since then. Although, the doctors assured them that his dad was going to be fine, Kurt took it upon himself to keep him in the best health. Kurt and Blaine planned on coming to her Invitationals and spending some friendly time together before Blaine would go back home, leaving his boyfriend in Rachel's hands.

Contrary to Rachel's expectations, however, Jackie didn't show her utter disappointment. Instead, she looked at Rachel with a frown.

"You're bringing two Warblers to Invitationals?"

" _Two Warblers_?" Rachel repeated mildly surprised at Jackie's discontent tone. "Kurt and Blaine are before all my friends. It's natural I want them to be there."

She sounded slightly unnerved, too. Rachel knew that but her grimace didn't fade even after Jackie made a sorry face. Rachel wasn't stupid, the parallels between this and last year were too bright to ignore: last year's catastrophe with Jesse started off after he, the lead vocalist of the opposing team and at the same time her best friend, came to see her sing during Sectionals.

"Rachel, I love you and all the good things you do to me and my blog," Jackie stopped Rachel mid-step. "And to return the favour, let me be the person to... enlighten you about the consequences and just spell it out to you."

She took a deep breath, planting her two hands on Rachel's shoulders in, apparently, reassuring manner before looking straight into Rachel's eyes and saying slowly:

"Having friends in different show choirs is mildly forgivable. Letting that friendship enter the sacred soil of show choir competition never ends good."

"It's not going to be repetition of the Jesse-gate," Rachel assured Jackie, stopping her tirade before it turned into something longer. Rachel could swear that sometimes Jackie's feelings towards show choirs were even more intense that Rachel's. "But I'm not going to give up my two best gays for the team, just like I wasn't going to give up Jesse. Not that _Vocal Adrenaline_ would ever ask for it," she added, recalling a bitter memory of her former team who tried to push her into accepting their stupid ultimatum about choosing between them and Jesse. Thanks Barbra for Vocal Adrenaline's trust in her.

"Just don't tell me that I didn't warn you," Jackie shrugged and looked onwards towards the Vocal Adrenaline table in the cafeteria. Rachel noticed the frown forming on Jackie's forehead before the girl gaped and asked: "Why is _she_ sitting _there_?"

Rachel, still buried in her thoughts, blinked at the abrupt change of topic. She glanced sideways at Jackie, followed her frowning gaze only to end up looking straight at the back of Casey's blonde hair and her butt resting on _Rachel's_ seat.

Fine, so she used to make fun of Jesse who went into his diva-mode once when Finn unknowingly took Jesse's usual seat in Rachel's house in Lima. She hadn't been able to understand what Jesse was so fussy over back then; she still believed that a chair was _a chair_ (even though it was a deliberately chosen chair, situated so that she was in the centre of everyone's view and attention). It was definitely not a reason for starting a war over. Remembering Jesse's outburst, Rachel had no idea a chair might've caused such a reaction...

... until she saw a girl – a girl that Rachel didn't particularly like, it must be emphasised – sitting in her spot.

She was totally right about laughing at Jesse for his obsession about a chair. But only now did she realise that it wasn't about the _chair_ , after all. It was about _who_ took it.

Rachel was ready to chase Casey away when something stopped her. She's done it only to get a rise out of Rachel and if Rachel demanded that Casey sat somewhere else, she would most probably just receive another snarky comment and be ignored. It was a dead-end situation.

Not saying a word, she pulled Jackie to the other side of the table, closer to where Meg and Patrick were sitting. They were discussing something with people next to them, mostly the newest additions to the team: Oliver, the twins: Alec and Joel, and Mike Chang's audition dancing partner, Miley. In the corner of her eye, Rachel noticed that Oliver sent her a shy smile and she suppressed a sigh; Jackie's words resurfaced and she was really happy to use Kurt as an excuse for her busy weekend.

Rachel put down her lunch, sat down and simply picked up where she left off with Jackie:

"You don't mind me inviting some friends from Dalton to the Invitationals, do you?" she asked Meg and Patrick.

They turned to look at her in response to her question and the way they exchanged short looks caused Rachel's strong stance crumble a bit – and even the reassuring words that fell from Meg's lips a second later, didn't manage to chase away the hesitation:

"No, why would we?" Meg answered slowly. "It's an open show. A lot of competition comes to see what we're up to every year."

"See?" Rachel shook her head and turned to Jackie. "Besides," she shrugged. "With Jesse, the New Directions were just scared that we were friends because Vocal Adrenaline is simply so good. No offence to the Warblers – they are a great team that has many great singers, and I adore at least two of them – but, well, there is a reason why they are the _second_ best glee club in Ohio."

The people, who were sitting close enough to hear Rachel's remark, chuckled or smiled slightly to her words. Rachel looked around to see that her teammates were now looking at her with amused curiosity and she understood that they were listening to her words. Justin was the first to open his mouth:

"That's the spirit, Berry," he called out from the opposite end of the table, lifting a box of juice in a silent toast. Then, he turned to look at everyone in general: "Keep up this attitude for the rest of the year and we'll all be fine."

* * *

 **Jesse's POV**

His phone rang twice before he managed to find it under the stack of sheet music and books scattered over the covers of his large bed. He cursed when his eyes fell on the alarm clock on the nightstand showing that it was four a.m.

There was only one person in the world that would dare to call him at such an hour.

"Hi, babe," he murmured into the phone, trying to sound only half as unconscious as he felt. He went to bed at two in the morning and planned on sleeping in; being woken up at the crack of dawn was not how he wanted to begin the new day. "What's up?"

Unlike his, her voice didn't sound tired at all when she asked:

"What do you feel about getting Shelby a human-size cartoon figure of Nicky Arnstein for her birthday?"

"That is a terrible idea, Rach," Jesse blinked, overcoming the tiredness.

Jesse rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn, while throwing his legs over the edge of the bed to clumsily step in the direction of the kitchen.

"So can I get one for myself?" she didn't give up.

"Over my dead body."

"You are no fun, St. James," Rachel declared gravely. "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing? At four a.m.?" he repeated with a shake of his head. "I'm making sure I stay conscious since you decided to wake me up after less than three hours of sleep. Which, by the way, is your new personal best. Well done, Berry."

It wasn't the first time Rach would call him in the middle of the night or so early in the morning. After two or three times they started comparing the amount of sleep he managed to get before her, usually frantic or angry, call.

"Don't mock me, this is serious," Rachel huffed in irritation clear in her voice. "You are the least empathetic boyfriend ever."

Not taking her words seriously, Jesse opened the fridge to get himself a redbull. Opening the can, he leaned against the counter murmuring a short "uh-uh" and nodding his head, even though she couldn't see him. Knowing Rachel, she didn't call him just to ask about the silly birthday idea, but he also knew Rachel well enough to be aware that she would reveal her true motives sooner rather than later if he gave her time – and that was precisely something he was going to do.

"And yet you still worship the ground I walk on," Jesse teased.

"Well, that's rich coming from a guy who lets me steal away his precious hours of sleep without a word of protest," Rachel fired back, adapting his joking tone.

Jesse let out a chuckle – Rachel followed him seconds after. For a moment, he silently considered her question but the only possible answers he could come up with were either involving objectifying her (which he definitely was not) or making him look and sound whipped (which he privately acknowledged that he was, but there was no power in the universe that would make him admit it out loud to her – he had a reputation to uphold).

She was reading his mind again, apparently, as her next words proved just how well she actually could see through him:

"Don't worry," Rachel spoke up. "Your secret is safe with me, Jesse."

Jesse's laughter turned into a sigh when he heard her melodic voice. Despite their bickering, he still needed to learn what prompted her to call him. He suspected it having something to do with the Invitationals; through her texts and Skype calls, she gave away some small signs which told Jesse that Shelby's gruelling rehearsals and the general pressure was seriously getting into her head more and more.

But even besides that, he knew that Rach had several things on her shoulders that required her attention – Kurt, for example, as well as the fallout after her former teammate trying out for Vocal Adrenaline that, according to Shelby, caused more negative attention than anyone could imagine. With all the fuss about him and Rachel from last year, Jesse learned the hard way that New Directions were almost too easily-offended and stupidly vindictive for their own good. For some incomprehensible for Jesse reason, Rachel still hated the thought of deteriorating their bad opinion about her even more. There was something in that group of teenagers that stopped them from simply losing their grip on Rachel's conscience.

Luckily, Jesse knew something that was sure to improve her mood or at least take her head off the problematic issues she was dealing with. He couldn't tell her just yet but she was in for a major surprise that weekend.

Jesse realised that Rachel was still waiting for him to break the prolonged pause in their conversation. He cleared his throat.

"Babe, are you ready to tell me what's wrong?" he asked straightforwardly. "Because as much as I love having those nightly conversations with you, I don't think my voice instructor will appreciate if I come to his private session unprepared with my only excuse being my unconditional love and patience for you, diva."

"Right, you have this first meeting with the scary professor," Rachel remembered.

Jesse ran his hand through his hair.

"Rach, don't stall," he reprimanded her half-heartedly.

"I'm not stalling," she protested, sounding exaggeratedly offended by his insinuation. "I'm interested in your life, like a good girlfriend is supposed to."

"It's half past four in the morning, Rach," Jesse reminded her with a roll of his eyes. "Tell me what's bothering you or I'll call your mother."

On the other end of the line, Rachel groaned with frustration.

"Do you realise that, technically, you've known my mother longer than I have? That's weird."

"Rachel."

This time, he knew that he was successful. Jesse went back to his bedroom and started gathering the papers from his bed, while Rachel voiced her thoughts, forming them into a one simple question:

"Should I be worried that keeping my friendship with Kurt is going to end up like with the two of us?"

And there it was; the cat was out of the bag. Fortunately, Jesse was prepared to face it.

He was actually expecting the question to be voiced sooner or later; he first-handedly knew that VA was too competitive to risk their performers (especially their stars) keeping up any possibly threatening friendships across opposite teams, so each such occurrence was treated with suspicion. Jesse's feelings for Rachel were not an exception; whether he was thinking about his former teammates or Shelby even – the team's wellbeing was supposed to be the priority. Sure they never considered Rachel a stranger – she knew the team from the very beginning – and thought it was "sweet", "adorable" and "totally ironical" (Andy's words) that he would fall for Rach after all these years. But when push came to the shove, they didn't hesitate to agree to attack her when she joined the competition. No amount of feelings on Jesse's side would stop them.

Team before all.

Jesse sat down on the edge of his bed. He closed his eyes, thinking how to assure Rach that she had nothing to worry about as long as she was playing by the book.

"Babe, everything's going to be fine," he spoke up, picking up every word deliberately slowly. "As long as you don't give Shelby any reasons to be concerned. And in order not to give her those reasons, don't try to hide Kurt from her. Believe me when I say it, love," Jesse chuckled. "She has better resources than CIA and NSA, so she would know about anything suspicious. The rest will listen to Shelby."

"Jackie says that I shouldn't..." Rachel started but Jesse didn't let her finish.

"And she's not in Vocal Adrenaline," Jesse reminded Rachel pointedly. "Talk to Justin, if you want to know the team's thoughts on the matter. If there's anyone upset, Shelby will take care of that."

"I don't want Shelby to take care of everything all the time," Rach protested. "It's like hiding under her skirt because I'm too incompetent."

"Then make sure that Justin is in your corner," Jesse advised her truthfully. "He's not only your lead but before all one of the most reasonable guys out there. Everyone will listen to the two of you."

Rachel was silent for a few seconds but Jesse was sure that she was feeling better. She most probably knew what he told her already, but, sometimes, people just needed to hear some truths from someone else.

"So," she sounded a bit more relaxed after hearing him out. Jesse smiled; he loved being the one to make her feel better. "Your scary professor?"

* * *

"Jesse's scary professor" has merely opened the door to the studio before a small figure of one of Jesse's classmates stormed out, clenching several rustled sheets of paper. She threw Jesse a quick glance and he noticed that the girl's face was covered in tears.

Jesse's only reaction was following her with his eyes, before he realised that Harrison was standing right behind him. Jesse threw him a questioning look to which the man responded with a shrug.

"Actresses," he said as if it was the only explanation he needed. And he was probably right.

Harrison retreated into the studio, silently telling Jesse to follow him inside. The room was covered in a bright light; it was almost empty and the only object there was a piano, behind which there was a man who Jesse briefly recognised as Harrison's assistant.

Jesse dropped his bag onto the floor and waited for the older man to start the session. Harrison has obviously earned his reputation not thanks to his successful career but primarily because of his effective ways of intimidating students. In this way, he was a lot like Shelby and his father; choosing to terrorize their inferiors and play mind games on them to maintain upper hand. Having been through his father _and_ Shelby, Jesse wasn't going to let his confidence be shattered by this one man, so whatever Harrison was about to throw at him, he decided he wouldn't cave.

In fact, Jesse – remembering Nat's words about Harrison being able to either destroy or boost someone's a career – made it his goal to earn himself Harrison's favours. Those private sessions were his opportunity to accomplish that.

"So, Mr. St. James," Harrison broke the silence. "I've went through your files over the week."

Jesse waited for the inevitable 'and', but it never came. Cocking one eyebrow, he watched how Harrison stepped towards the large window to look outside. His assistant grabbed Jesse's attention by shaking his head in a silent warning, as soon as the older man was sure not to see him. Jesse wondered if the younger man was usually giving the students such tips.

"I also talked with some of my colleagues about you," Harrison continued, keeping his matter-of-fact tone of voice. "Unfortunately, it seems that I can not kick you out on a whim..."

He turned back to look at Jesse whose expression immediately turned from hesitant to neutral. He was obviously being provoked and he didn't mean to give the man the satisfaction.

"I'm clearly joking," Harrison smiled but the smile never reached his eyes. "Of course, I can."

Jesse let out a breath, suppressing the need to roll his eyes. If the man thought he was being amusing, Jesse _clearly_ had a completely different sense of humour He saw that the man behind the piano threw Harrison short glance and looked as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself. Harrison looked at him, telling him without words that his service wouldn't be needed today. Quickly, the assistant gathered his stuff and left the studio.

"Any remarks on your home assignment?" Harrison spoke up suddenly, as soon as the other man was outside.

Jesse's pose – standing next to the piano, straightened and without the possibility to sit down – started to get uncomfortable. Mildly relieved that he had an excuse to move, Jesse reached to his bag to pull out the page that he'd gotten from Harrison.

According to Nat, there were possible directions in which this conversation could move; Jesse could either accept everything without a word to show that he was willing to learn, or look at the list critically. The first direction could possibly entail that Jesse was unable to recognise his own good or bad features. The second option, however, had its drawbacks, as well. In case Jesse was wrong with his assessment, he would come across as unable to accurately asses his own abilities and blind to critique.

It was a no brainer to guess which option Jesse chose.

"I was not having problems with high notes," he spoke up, passing the list back to the professor. "And my breathing was correct, despite what it says there."

"Oh, was it?" Harrison repeated with a tinge of doubt in his tone. "The last but one verse, when you lost two seconds – it was precisely because you didn't measure your breathing in-between verses."

Hiding his mild surprise at the fact that Harrison remembered that much after a week, Jesse suppressed the snort that was begging to escape his lips. One verse in the face of the entire song, don't make him laugh. Jesse opened his mouth but Harrison's eyes were already glued to the list, that Jesse edited by adding his own thoughts or simply crossing out certain items.

"The rest of the remarks was mostly concerned with the interpretation and that is something up to discussion, not to be put dryly on a piece of paper."

Jesse's words brought Harrison's attention back to him. The man nodded his head and, for the first time, told Jesse to sit down. Looking around, Jesse noticed that there was no stools nor chairs, but Harrison didn't seem to care. Much to Jesse's surprise, the man airily sat down on the floor, gesturing for his student to join him. Throwing an uncertain glance at Harrison's assistant, Jesse followed his professor to the floor.

"Let's discuss your interpretation, then," Harrison announced tiredly.

Unlike Jesse, he didn't care, apparently, that he was sitting on a sweaty and slightly dusted floor, probably ruining his clothes. His attitude towards Jesse, however, changed a bit since the beginning of the session; while Jesse was still guarded and determined, Harrison looked like he was slightly more interested in having Jesse there.

"So you want me to tell you how I understand this song?" Jesse asked.

Harrison grimaced.

"No, the lyrics were simplistic, and the history behind it – trivial. I want to talk about you interpreting it in any way."

This time, Jesse didn't even try to hide his lack of understanding as of where Harrison's thoughts were heading.

"You see, Jesse... I'm going to call you Jesse, because your last name is horrible to pronounce every five seconds..."

He trailed off, looking outside the window as in if waiting for something to fly through it. Unable to find any answer to this odd remark, Jesse just nodded his head. In meantime, Harrison turned back to look at Jesse and said:

"You have a good voice and you know it. It still needs improvements in certain areas, but generally it is a voice that could send you off to the stage in a few years. You don't socialise much with the rest of your class, do you?"

"We talk in-between classes, but no, I don't meet them otherwise," Jesse shrugged, still unsure what the man was hinting at. "What does it have with my interpretation of the number?"

Harrison ignored Jesse's question choosing to continue his monologue:

"You see, Jesse, I asked around about you. While my colleagues seem to consider you one of the most promising students, your _classmates_ refer to you as stuck up and... What was the word...?" He pretended to think before firing away: "An _asshole_."

Jesse was sure that his eyebrows literally touched his hairline by the time Harrison was done talking. Not only was Jesse displeased with his classmates' opinions about him, but the whole idea of his professor asking other people about Jesse in the first place was completely absurd.

"Is there a point in this conversation?" Jesse gritted through his teeth. If he wanted to sit around to be insulted, he would invite Finn Hudson for a coffee.

Harrison chuckled. He freaking _laughed_ in response to Jesse's apparent irritation; yeah, his nerves failed him after his heroic fight to keep calm and collected in the face of whatever the man had prepared for him. His next words, however, assured Jesse that the man was not done and, clearly, had a reason for telling him all that:

"Finally, I see something more than a studied expression," Harrison called out with satisfaction. "Now, it would be perfect to see any of those emotions on your face during an actual performance."

"What?" Jesse was sure he didn't hear the man correctly. "I put everything I had into that song emotionally."

"That's the problem," the teacher clapped his hands, standing up. "It looked forced. Like you weren't used to showing that side of you. What I've seen today, and even what you showed me the first time I talked to you, was simply confirmed by other students who spend the days with you: you are reluctant to share anything but your confidence and border-like arrogance – for a reason that I don't care about. Whenever you try to open up, you fail to do it convincingly."

Oh.

Jesse blinked, studying the older man's expression, considering his words in silence, and – failing to find anything that wasn't actually true about that statement. Jesse just never thought it would be much of a problem to find that ability at the right moment. Apparently, even when he thought he had succeeded, someone was telling him in less than polite way that he was an emotional cripple. Not the first, nor the last time he was going to hear that, it would seem.

"That's primarily what I'm going to work on with you during those sessions," Harrison lifted himself from the floor, breaking the picnic-like atmosphere. "Just to make it clear: it's not going to be a therapeutic session of any sort. You will be singing the songs I give you, either alone or with a duet partner that I find for you, and I will not only look for the technical perfection but expect you to feel them. If you want to graduate from this department as one of my students, I will not accept anything less than excellence in every aspect."

Jesse stood up from the floor as well. He closed his eyes for the briefest moment before opening them and shrugging his arms nonchalantly:

"Perfection is my middle name."

"I will see you next week, then. Have an _emotional_ afternoon, Jesse."

This time, Jesse rolled his eyes openly. He grabbed his bag, threw it over his shoulder and headed back towards the exit. His hand was on the handle, ready to push the door open when Harrison's voice stopped him for the last time:

"Just one last thing, out of pure curiosity..." the man called after Jesse. "That girl you were singing about: is she Norma Jeane or already a Marilyn?"

Jesse opened the door and stepped forward. Before he disappeared in the corridor, however, he stopped moving. Smirking, he turned his head slightly to the left and threw over his shoulder:

"A Marilyn. Sine she was eleven."

* * *

 **Rachel's POV**

It was stupid. Rachel was not supposed to be nervous – there was seriously no reason for her to be anxious about the performance. She knew the song, she has spent the last two weeks rehearsing and singing so long that she was able to do the number in her sleep. Shelby told her more than once that she sounded great and that her dancing was on spot as well.

So it wasn't that she was scared of making a fool of herself.

But, still, there was something that simply didn't want to leave her for some reason. Something that came down to a figure of her own traitorously talented _boyfriend_ standing on that stage almost exactly a year ago and singing his heart out, much to the audience's enthusiasm.

Rachel moved a few steps forward to peek behind the curtain at the auditorium that was slowly filling with people. She saw a few familiar faces: Shelby was standing in her usual spot, orchestrating her temporary stage assistants who looked like he was going to drop his pen every time Shelby pointed to something else. Next to her was Jackie with a video recorder and camera ready.

Rachel's eyes moved up, over her mother's head and she saw Kurt and Blaine who, as promised, came to send their love and good energy. After the night talk with Jesse, she took up his advice and ambushed Justin after the rehearsal. Justin confirmed what Jesse has told her that night: she could keep Kurt and Blaine as close as she wanted, given that she remembered where her loyalties lay.

Apart from that, the audience appeared to be a buzzing mass of strangers who expected to see the best of Vocal Adrenaline and feel the same awe that Jesse St. James made them feel for the past four years.

These people came in tonight, demanding to see more of that spectacle.

What if Rachel Berry couldn't deliver it?

"Berry? Where are you?"

Rachel turned on her heel. She saw Justin looking around the wings, clearly in search of her. Rachel brushed a strand of hair off her face and stepped towards him. She hesitated, though, when she noticed a single red rose in his hands.

"Here," Justin handed Rachel the flower.

"Thank you?" she accepted the flower but not without question in her voice.

Rachel's lead rolled his eyes but chuckled.

"Jesse says good luck," he corrected her dryly and sighed in fake annoyance. "Seriously, this guy makes us all look like wimps around the rest of the girls."

Immediately feeling slightly better, she buried her nose in the flowed. She was unable to stop the grin that crept onto her lips. Of course Jesse sent her flowers before her performance. Originally, he planned to be there but they both agreed that coming to Ohio so soon again was not reasonable right now. She loved, though, how he seemed to constantly think about her (even if it meant putting up with her late calls).

Rachel shrugged in response to Justin's remark.

"Watch and learn, then," she patted his shoulder half-mockingly.

She didn't have time to say anything more because another one of her teammates, Meg, appeared as well and announced that they were going out in five.

And, simply as that, Rachel's nerves went back to square one. She glanced down at the rose in her hand and tried to magically forget about her nerves for another couple of minutes but to no avail.

"Are you going to kill me if I screw this up?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.

"You're not going to screw this up," Justin's reply was instantaneous.

Rachel's head snapped to look at him.

"What if they just don't like me? Or what if people are going to compare me to Jesse and say that..."

The next thing Rachel heard was Justin's laughter. She glared at his insensitivity but he simply shrugged her off.

"Stop freaking out. You're going to blow their minds, Berry," Justin spoke up, leading her to the rest of Vocal Adrenaline who were already waiting for them. "And if not, I'm sure to find you a worthy replacement."

It was only half the answer she expected to hear a couple of minutes before their curtain call.

"How is _that_ supposed to calm me down?" Rachel mocked him.

"It's not supposed to calm you down. It's not how we work around here. If you want cheerful and relaxed sing alongs, you are free to go back to McKinley," Justin noticed, purposefully rising his voice to be loud enough for the rest of the team to hear him. "Vocal Adrenaline's reputation is going to get into your head every time before a show, and it's high time you learned how to deal with this. We're not in Kansas anymore. You are either good, or you are out of here."

Everyone in the team nodded their heads in agreement almost immediately. Rachel bit her lip. The comment was made neutrally, merely as a statement of facts but Rachel's heart stopped for the shortest moment. The looks she received weren't hostile, though; the girls were even smiling at her reassuringly – or nervously, in case of those for whom it was the first time performing with Vocal Adrenaline. Justin's words applied as much to them as to her.

Justin stopped so that he was standing right behind Rachel and she looked back up at him when she felt his hands on her shoulders and saw him lean in closer.

"You are good, Berry," he declared straight into her ear. "And that's all you need to remember for another twenty minutes."

"So you're not planning on sending me back to Lima?" she half-joked, looking at everyone.

They shook their heads.

"You are the best voice in American show choir circles right now," Briana confirmed, ending the discussion. "Unless you pull the last-year Regionals stunt on us, we're not letting you go, Rachel."

"End of talking!" Shelby's voice cut their pep talk short. "Get into positions. Rachel, head up and don't you dare drop that showface."

She looked at everyone in general and nodded her head.

"We're Vocal Adrenaline, people," she called finally. "Let's show them what a real show looks like."

Rachel moved past Shelby but stopped when she felt her coach's hand on her shoulder. The rest of the team was already entering the stage, making Rachel the last one to leave the wings.

"You are going to be amazing, honey," Shelby kissed the top of Rachel's head. "Just go there and do what you do best."

* * *

 **Kurt's POV**

It was the second time Kurt entered the halls of Carmel High's auditorium. The first time was last year when Mr Schue took them to check out their competition, which ended in a sense of spectacular humiliation and terror that hasn't left them for weeks. At that time, the New Directions had been a mess and they all had been too preoccupied with putting together a single good number, to find themselves in a position to compare the two teams. This time, however, Kurt was supposed to use the Carmel's Invitationals as an opportunity to at least try find something useful or possibly helpful in Vocal Adrenaline's performance.

Or at least that was what his reason was telling him to do. In reality, though, he was too focused on checking his phone to even look up when Blaine led them to their seats.

"Put your phone away, Kurt," Blaine's voice reached him over the overall noise made by the crowd of people around them. "Your dad is going to be fine and Mrs Hudson will call you if there is something wrong."

Sighing, Kurt let Blaine take the device from his hands and hide it away in the pocket of his jacket. His hands felt empty without the cell in them – Kurt got used to checking his phone every few seconds, to be sure that there was nothing bad going on with his dad. Blaine was beginning to show his slight discontent with Kurt's almost obsessive behaviour so Kurt gave up without a word.

"We're here for our friend," Blaine reminded him, kissing his cheek.

Kurt nodded, looking about the place.

"Look around at all these people," Blaine murmured under his breath. "I remember last year when Shelby Corcoran extended an invitation to the Warblers to sing with them... The crowds back then were incredible but I think that this year the turnout is even greater."

"You know," Kurt leaned closer to Blaine. "I've been sitting three rows from here the first time I ever saw you."

"Really?" Blaine enquired with interest; Kurt never told him about it until now. "You were there?"

Kurt smiled and nodded his head.

"Mr Schue took the budding New Directions to see the competition. I can only imagine Rachel's thoughts when he announced that the day before."

Blaine burst into laughter, probably thinking about the same thing.

Kurt remembered little from that afternoon, but there were two things that had got stuck in his memory... although, it was much later that he realised their significance. One of them was Rachel's odd behaviour that day – sneaking around with her eyes glued to the screen of her cell, talking to (as it turned out months later) the VA coach as if it was not a big deal, and, finally, her unusual enthusiasm for the hosts' show. Back then, Kurt was simply suspicious of Berry's weird act, but when they finally learned about her years-long relationship with Jesse St. James and the whole rival team, it only made huge sense.

"You know," Blaine spoke up, interrupting Kurt's thoughts. "I think it was fate that brought the two of you to Carmel that day. Two most talented members of the New Directions falling for the leads of two best show choirs in Ohio."

Kurt snorted and shook his head with resignation at his boyfriend's romantic ideals. Fate? More like a huge, fat irony.

"Speaking of which," Blaine changed the topic. "Is Jesse going to be here today?"

Kurt shook his head. Rachel told him that Jesse avoided his parents for the time being, which included staying in New York probably until the Thanksgiving. To put it mildly, Rachel was not happy to hear that, but her long-term solution to that problem involved her flying over to see Jesse before that.

"But I'm sure he surprised her with some romantic gesture to make up for his absence," Kurt's voice showed his mixed feelings about that. "Don't get me wrong, Jesse is the best thing that Rachel could dream about with her high standards but even I got nauseous whenever I see them together; all smiling and sickeningly cute."

"Oh come on," Blaine nudged Kurt's side. "You are just jealous."

Kurt wasn't _jealous_. He just thought that being in love didn't necessarily entail showing off their love regardless of the onlooker's taste or mental health. To celebrate their first month of being a couple, Jesse put together a CD with ideas for their future romantic duets. For his graduation, he organised a date night with movies, private karaoke and a dinner that he cooked himself. And she wasn't far behind him; just over a month ago, she forced Kurt to sit through a series of her monologues concerning the perfect "goodbye-for-now-but-we'll-see-each-other-soon" gift for Jesse before he moved to New York.

Anyone who would spend these five and a half hour with Rachel on that day would agree with Kurt's opinion.

"What is she singing anyway?" Kurt asked briskly, snatching the program from Blaine's hands and opening it. "If it's another Queen number, I'm leaving."

Though he highly doubted it, Kurt wouldn't put it past Vocal Adrenaline to make Rachel sing what they found most appealing to the crowds, including another epic number from Freddie Mercury's repertoire.

His mouth opened when he saw the title of the song written underneath Rachel's name. That was definitely not Queen.

"It's only Rachel," Blaine noticed, glancing over Kurt's arm. "No other lead?"

According to Rachel, her mother planned on showing Rachel off to the booster club and any competition that would turn up that day in the audience. Even though Kurt would never tell her that, he heard that this sort of event was what they needed at the moment; the show choir blogs were full of rumours that the famous Vocal Adrenaline, after the graduation of Jesse St. James, have lost its star factor. Despite Rachel's incredible voice and her successful VA debut during Nationals, she was still remembered mostly for her intentional choke from last Regionals.

Kurt knew she was going to be fine. As much as his pride hated to admit it out loud, she was Rachel Berry and she was able to make anything happen.

"Can you imagine something like this happening in McKinley?" Blaine murmured with amusement. "Your coach giving Rachel the only solo of the day and your former teammates not killing her on the spot?"

Kurt chuckled dryly because – indeed – Rachel wouldn't survive a minute before Santana, Mercedes or he would try to get her head on the place, demanding to get a solo for themselves. It was just the same with Blaine and the Warblers – it was like they made up the team just so that Blaine would be allowed to compete in the competition.

The lights in the auditorium dimmed, except for the spotlights over the stage which was directed at the curtain that finally started going up. Kurt straightened in his chair, immediately forgetting the Warblers and the New Directions.

"Shh, it's time," he pressed his hand to Blaine's mouth, silencing another question that was forming on his lips.

Every person in the audience got instantly quiet. They were with their eyes glued to the stage before them. The curtain was all the way up and Kurt heard Blaine take a short breath in response to the view before them; Vocal Adrenaline were standing unmoving on the stage, with their heads down and looking at the wooden desks underneath them. They were not facing the audience, though. For the first five or so seconds all Kurt saw was their backs.

"Where's Rachel?" Blaine murmured straight into Kurt's ear. So Kurt was not the only one not to see his friends among the group of teenagers.

"I bet ten dollars that she'll be wheeled onto the stage in some crazy machine," Kurt snickered half-genuinely. Who knew what Rachel's overachieving mother could be up to?

Blaine smiled in response but before Kurt lost his ten bucks, the first beats of the music started and two of the VA members moved a little, revealing the short figure of their friend.

Kurt noticed how she exchanged short glances with a tall blonde to her right and smiled fleetingly before abandoning the smile in favour of a focused, determined expression. She started singing but the team didn't move, remaining still while she was the only one to slowly make her way down the stage:

" _There's only two types of people in the world_ ," Rachel lifted the corner of her lips. " _The ones that entertain and the ones that observe. Well baby, I'm a put-on-a-show kind of girl. Don't like the backseat, gotta be first._ "

Of course she would sing the song about being in the centre of everyone's attention, Kurt thought.

" _I'm like the ringleader_ _, I call the shots_."

He suppressed the need to hold onto his jaw when, for the first time, he saw Rachel Berry easily command the group of people surrounding her. She bent her finger at the same blonde guy that previously smiled to her; he immediately followed her.

" _I'm like a firecracker_ ," Rachel playfully waved her hand at her face. " _I make it hot_. _Then I put on a show_."

"Is it just me or Rachel was able to make Britney Spears sound even _better,_ if that's even possible?" Blaine's breath tickled Kurt's ear. Blaine worshiped the ground which Britney walked on – those words coming from him surprised even Kurt.

Now the whole team was spinning around Rachel and the rest of the girls who danced behind her. Rachel turned her back to the audience to run back to the platform in the back of the stage. A single spotlight hit her face and, grinning, she went on:

" _I feel the adrenaline moving through my veins_ ," she sang backed up by her girl teammates. " _Spotlight on me and I'm ready to break. I'm like a performer, the dance floor is my stage_..."

She jumped down, just to be caught by skilful hands of two guys. She never lost the beat.

" _Better be ready, hope that you feel the same_."

* * *

The applause was still thundering around them when Kurt felt someone pat his shoulder impatiently. Slightly startled, he turned his head around to see a curly-haired girl, looking at him questioningly.

"You're Kurt, right?" the girl asked loudly, fighting with the overall noise. "Rachel told me to take you two to her after the performance."

Without waiting for their response, the girl started moving down the aisle between the chairs. Blaine exchanged quick looks with Kurt before shrugging his shoulders and following their tour guide. Kurt noticed that the girl was carrying a bag that looked like filled with some equipment and he remembered seeing her during the number, recording Vocal Adrenaline from a spot near Rachel's mother.

He realised that she must have been the friend that Rachel has told him about sometimes, Jackie from the show choir blog. Stepping into the backstage of Carmel's auditorium, Kurt let out a small gasp at the size of the place. It was twice as big as McKinley's auditorium.

Jackie showed them to the small make up area and told them to wait for a moment before Rachel would change back into her clothes. Then, she just left them alone.

"Is it only me or she hates us for some reason?" Blaine joked, looking around. "Do you think that the rest will come, too?"

"I don't know how I feel about being dragged down the lion's liar," Kurt murmured to Blaine. He planned meeting Rachel outside after everything was over; facing all twenty-something members of Vocal Adrenaline was the last thing he wanted to do unprepared.

"You're overreacting," Blaine squeezes his hand reassuringly. "I've met few of them once or twice, or even last year after we sang here. They're not that bad in reality."

"You just had to remind me that out of our three, I'm the only one not leading any glee club, huh?" Kurt rolled his eyes at his boyfriend's words. "You make me want to go back to McKinley to take over New Directions."

Although Kurt was only half-joking, Blaine burst into laughter at the mere idea. Pouting, Kurt folded his arms and glared at Blaine until he felt Rachel's arms around his neck, and heard her excited giggle in his ear.

"Oh, my god. I was so amazing out there!" Rachel squealed straight into Kurt's ear, causing a wave of laughter from Blaine and an annoyed roll of eyes from Kurt himself. She really didn't need to rub it into his face.

Kurt heard some voices to their left. Looking there, he saw that, one by one, the rest of Rachel's team spilled out of the green room, talking, laughing or simply looking around until they saw something over their heads; something that made them all stop.

Before Kurt managed to turn around himself, Rachel let him to, covered her face in shock and sprinted in the direction of whoever was behind them, laughing and calling:

"Oh, my god, I can't believe you're here!"

Having known St. James a bit better now, Kurt wouldn't have been surprised to see Rachel's boyfriend grinning like a Cheshire cat while holding Rachel in his arms, happy that his surprise was a success. The image in his head was so crystal clear that it came as a quite a shock to Kurt when he realised that the person Rachel was strangling was not Jesse at all. Instead, her arms were full of a tall, lanky, dark-skinned girl who returned the gesture with a matching smile, while another girl was staring at the scene with slight consternation before Rachel released her victim to just grab the second girl and lock her up in an even tighter hug.

"Hey, I know her," Blaine whispered to Kurt. "It's Giselle Torres, she talked to me about Vocal Adrenaline's offer last year."

Hearing that, Kurt's jaw tightened for the shortest moment. The secret files from Rachel were still a sore topic between the two of them. In meantime, Rachel was approached by the majority of her team who joined in with their own greetings. Everyone was chatting happily, probably sharing their impressions about the team – and completely ignoring Kurt and Blaine who were still standing few meters away.

Just as Kurt was about to comment on their rudeness, he saw that two of the people who stayed behind moved a bit closer to them. One of them was Rachel's dance partner from the performance and the other was a pretty girl who was observing with amusement the scene in front of them. They were the only ones to actually greet Kurt and Blaine, introducing themselves as Justin and Briana.

Taking advantage of this new situation, Kurt opened his mouth to ask one of the many questions that were trying to leave his mouth since the last few minutes, but something next to Rachel caught all their attention once more.

There was yet another new girl standing few meters from the small crowd. She wasn't alone, though, accompanied by a tall, bulky and totally handsome guy. They were both wearing the same terrified expression while watching the scene before them. Taking a closer look at their newest company, Kurt realised that he actually recognised the girl from the party that Rachel had organised for her dads' anniversary few months earlier.

" _Kate_?" Briana called out in surprise, loud enough for Rachel to hear that, and stop her frantic description of her newest artistic success. "Oh, it's going to be _fun_."

"Yeah," the guy next to them agreed, watching Rachel's expression change. "I better go there before Berry commits a homicide."

* * *

 **Wow, it's been one long chapter!**

 **Britney Spears'** _ **Circus**_ **was just playing on the radio when I was writing the chapter, hence the sudden inspiration for the Invitationals number.**

 **Oh, and I LOVE your reviews, it's sooo good to know that people enjoy my work so much!**

 **Until next time! (no longer than two weeks from now, I promise!)**

 *** Finally, the name of the chapter is the title of the song** _ **Ten Duel Commandments**_ **from** _ **Hamilton**_ **– if you haven't listened to the Cast Album – do it! It's totally sick.**


	10. Unapologetic

**Chapter 10: Unapologetic**

 **Rachel's POV**

 _Rachel stopped, allowing Rebecca to catch up with her. Jesse's sister looked around in search of their seats and let out a groan._

" _Why do we have to sit in the middle of the row?" Rabecca complained out loud, earning a raise of some lady's eyebrows. "How the hell am I supposed to look gorgeous in the middle of the row?"_

 _Rachel smiled faintly but her mind was too preoccupied with a more pressing matter than Becca's looks. She looked around the crowds of happy families and said:_

" _I still can't believe that your parents couldn't stay two more days instead of flying off to Bali._ Again _," Rachel sighed, only partially with resignation._

 _She lifted her chin to look at Rebecca but she just shrugged. She didn't even seem to be surprised by her parents decision, Rachel noticed._

 _Rachel stopped talking to push her and Becca aside to make room for a small group of grinning parents and a few teenagers in dark blue gowns and caps who were about to collide with them. Becca followed the group with her eyes, but, to Rachel's relief, held back the snarky remark that was most probably forming on her lips; the St. James sibling was not afraid of picking up pointless arguments for more trivial reasons._

 _That was why Rachel decided that it was high time they found their seats; she started walking down the aisle between two groups of chairs in the back of the football pitch. Because of the nice weather, the ceremony was taking place outside. The sun was sitting high on the sky and Rachel was glad she got to wear a pretty summer dress, unlike Becks who thought that a tight pair of jeans and boots was the best outfit for the event._

" _I mean," Rachel picked up where she felt off a minute earlier. "It's Jesse's graduation."_

 _In response to her words, Rebecca snorted._

" _Come on, bun, it's my parents we're talking about," she reminded the younger girl with a chuckle. "They missed my graduation because my mother didn't want to leave the house during the rain."_

 _Having been used to their parents' frequent absence, neither Becks nor Jesse cared whether their parents were around. She knew that Jesse was even rather glad that Becks' came from LA instead._

" _I have no idea how you can take it so lightly," Rachel murmured. "I'm happy to see that at least you came home."_

" _Of course I came," Becks smiled but rolled her eyes. "It's my role to be here and guide him through the terrifying world of after high school life."_

 _Raising her eyebrow, Rachel threw Becca a look full of doubt. It was one thing to be glad about Becca's presence – believing those words was another._

" _Cheer up, Rachel," Becca grinned mischievously, suddenly pulling a camera out of her bad. "We got their invitations and I'm not going to waste them. I have every intention of making sure Jesse has the most cliché, awkward and memorable graduation experience he can imagine. It'll be just as if my mother was here."_

 _Not really knowing how to respond to that declaration, Rachel chose not to ask about anything more. In meantime, Becca seemed to drop the topic herself as she looked around with interest._

 _As for her, Rachel tried to find Jesse with her eyes; she left him earlier with the other seniors before leaving to find Becca. Jesse and his fellow soon-to-be-graduates were already standing in line next to a large temporal stage, so she turned in the direction of the front, spotting him immediately. He was chatting happily with Dave. As if feeling her eyes on the back of his head, Jesse turned and sent her a kiss, which earned him a playful nudge from the other boy. Jesse glared at Dave and massaged his ribs. Rachel giggled; the general excitement was beginning to affect her as well._

" _Do you think it's going to take a lot of time?" Becca's voice interrupted the short moment._

 _Rachel turned her head to look at Jesse's sister again._

" _My friend is in town for a few days. We're meeting for a coffee," she explained matter-of-factly. "You don't mind, right? I mean, aren't you going out with that team of yours afterwards anyway?"_

 _Rachel shook her head._

" _Yes, we are. And I don't know when..."_

" _Can I have your attention please?"_

 _Rachel closed her mouth when she was interrupted by the voice in the microphone. Becks put down her phone and tried to concentrate on the principal who was currently greeting the students and their families. As it turned out, "tried" was the keyword, apparently; as soon as Becca saw the man she let out a soft chuckled._

" _He's still wearing that stupid dotted tie?" she murmured with amusement, referring to Principal Diggs' tie. "I swear it's older than me and uglier than his wife... Don't try to argue, you've seen the woman."_

 _Unable to suppress the amusement at that comment, Rachel smiled, biting her lip._

" _You're just being rude," she scolded Becca but didn't mean it._

 _She turned to look at the stage in the front. The principal finished his introductions and was ready to call out the name of the first person to get step onto the stage:_

" _Katherine Abram."_

 _A small applause accompanied Kate when Rachel's teammate accepted the diploma, shook her hand with the principal and with a very Kate-like, bored expression, reached to move the tassel on her cap to the left, finally bowing with exaggeration. Few people laughed nearby and Rachel saw that Andrea, who was standing a few meters away from Jesse, rolled her eyes. Rachel enthusiastically clapped her hands with the crowd, until another name was called out._

 _After that, Rachel's eyes wandered back to Jesse. She really couldn't believe that this day has finally come; Jesse was graduating. It was only in that minute that she really realised what it meant; the school was over, the gruesome rehearses were no longer taking up most of their time and they could spend as much time together as they could. Rachel planned on using all of that time before the day of Jesse's departure to New York comes._

 _Nevertheless, watching Jesse's friends and classmates one by one receive their diplomas, she couldn't stop – not for the first and definitely not for the last time – feeling the smallest pang of anxiety. Being with Jesse was the most amazing experience in her life so far; she felt loved, respected and cherished at every step, in every moment of her day. She hoped for the summer to be the same and wondered if that bond was stronger than the inevitable separation. Jesse was confident, her dads assured her of their faith in them, even Shelby was adamant that if there was a couple that could make it, they were that couple._

 _It didn't help to ease her sadness, though._

 _Shaking her head to get rid of the irritating thoughts, Rachel straightened in her chair, ran a hand through her hair that she deliberately curled for the occasion knowing that Jesse loved them that way, and smiled to herself._

 _In meantime, the line by the stage was gradually melting. Rachel didn't know many of the faces present there but whenever one of the graduating Vocal Adrenaline seniors ascended the stage to accept their diploma, she would applaud loudly with the crowd of family and friends. The team was going to miss all of them for one reason or another. Even though Jesse was the lead and it was his absence that would be noticed the most by the outsiders, the loss of such amazing people like Andrea or even Giselle, however, would be equally upsetting for both the team and Rachel herself. She grew to love those people like her new family: highly unconventional and sometimes dysfunctional, but amazing._

 _Speaking of the family, Rachel thought seeing how Shelby stood up just after the former head cheerleader, Madison Siegel, has left the stage with a proud smile on her smile, accompanied by the loud whistles and cheers._

 _Principle Diggs smiled at Shelby and handed her the next diploma, shortly after announcing into the microphone:_

" _Jesse St. James."_

 _By the time Jesse marched to the center of the stage to accept the quiet congratulation from Rachel's mother, Rachel's was shamelessly crying and she jumped to her feet, immediately followed by Becca. They were soon joined by Andy, Dave, Chris, and finally Kate. Jesse looked around, slightly surprised but happy, much like Shelby who sent him away few seconds after he nonchalantly pushed the tassel to the other side of his cap._

 _As soon as the formal part of the graduation was over, Rachel sprinted out to find Jesse. He was standing among the group of graduates, with their former teammates next to him. The people around laughed when she jumped eagerly into his open arms and he spun her happily._

 _She opened her mouth to congratulate him but something stopped her. Rachel felt someone's hands grab her arms and push her to the side. She let out a short gasp and was ready to tell that someone off when she realised that it was Kate. Without a word but sending Jesse an apologetic smile, the older girl pushed Rachel away from Jesse and somewhere to their left._

 _Unable to get free from Kate's strong hold on her shoulder, Rachel looked back at Jesse but he only exchanged confused glances with the rest and didn't move to stop them. Even if he wanted to react in any way, his sister was quicker. With a terrifying grin, she pulled out her camera and started ordering the group around. Smiling to herself at the expression of horror painting on Jesse's face, she turned back to look at her kidnapper who was still pushing her forward._

" _What's going on, Kate?" Rachel asked with annoyance._

" _I need some help with something and you're the most normal person out there," Kate gestured back. "It's going to take only a minute, I promise."_

 _Feeling that arguments were pointless at this point, Rachel just nodded her head and let Kate lead her away. She was actually getting quite curious about Kate's intentions. In meantime, the girl looked around until she spotted something. With an exhausted sigh, Kate moved the two of them in the direction of a short woman who was apparently waiting for them._

" _Mom," Kate addressed the woman in front of them. "This is Rachel."_

 _Rachel blinked and her confusion grew even more. Kate threw Rachel a pointed look and Rachel looked at Kate's mother again. Why was she being introduced to Kate's mother? she thought with amusement mixed with a healthy dose of puzzlement. Kate's next words made the girl's intentions clearer, though:_

" _She's a friend," Kate gestured to Rachel as if she was an object in a museum. "You see? I told you I have those here."_

 _The woman smiled warmly at Rachel and her good manners finally kicked in; she smiled back and accepted the woman's hand eagerly, introducing herself politely:_

" _Hello, my name is Rachel Berry, it's really nice to meet you, Mrs Abram"_

" _You can call me Claire," the woman answered waving her hand. "It's really nice to meet you, too, Rachel. You've known Katie from school, is that right?"_

 _This time, Rachel muffled a smirk. Katie? Usually, anyone who dared to call Kate anything but "Kate" automatically became the object of her wrath. It was kind of sweet to know that the intimidating Kate Abram had a bit of_ Katie _in her, at least at home._

" _Yes, we were in glee club together," Rachel nodded her head._

" _Show choir," Kate corrected her instantly._

 _Rachel rolled her eyes but her response died on her lips as soon as she heard someone call her name. The two girls turned to look at Becks who was glancing at them impatiently. Next to her, Jesse was glaring at his sister, still clearly annoyed by her behaviour. His scowl turned into a smile though, when he looked at Rachel and she returned the gesture._

" _Rachel? Are you done?" Becca asked. "I need to go soon and I can't leave without first taking at least two embarrassing pictures of you and my brother."_

" _I'll be right back," Rachel called back. She turned back to look at Kate's mother and apologised shortly._

" _Are those your friends, as well?" Claire asked with interest._

 _Rachel started nodding her head but Kate's short answer stopped her:_

" _I don't know them."_

 _Kate's mother lifted the corner of her mouth, obviously understanding what Kate wasn't actually saying. She shook her head and raised her eyebrow with disbelief but probably decided that it was not worth asking. Finally, the woman murmured something about a business meeting and reminded "Katie" to call someone named Chris before going out for their planned graduation party._

" _I will," Kate nodded her head._

" _Excellent. Have a nice evening. And it was a pleasure to meet you, Rachel," Claire Abram turned to Rachel again._

 _With those words on her lips and not waiting for Rachel's response, Kate's mother disappeared in the crowd of people, leaving a relieved-looking Kate and slightly amused Rachel alone. For a minute the two girls were quiet but, finally, Rachel broke the silence:_

" _Do I even want to ask,_ Katie _?" she chuckled, not yet moving to join Rebecca and Jesse._

 _Kate snorted._

" _Don't you dare. Let's just go."_

" _Chris is your mysterious boyfriend, right?" Rachel guessed. "The one from Columbus."_

" _Yeah, something like that," Kate nodded her head with a twitch of her lips._

 _Rachel observed that reaction with curiosity. Kate never spoke about her private life more than it was necessary and Rachel suddenly realised that, despite spending almost every day with Kate for the past few months, she didn't really know much about her or her life outside school. She was actually stunned to be introduced to Kate's mother or finally learning her boyfriend's name. And that was something Rachel believed that should be different. If she thought about it, Kate's been one of Jesse's best friends, an important member of their group of friends and someone that Rachel grew to treat as her own friend as well. She wanted to know more._

" _Can I meet him someday?"_

 _Kate cocked her eyebrow and her face screamed confusion. Rachel shrugged but waited for the answer._

" _Why would you want to do that?" the older girl finally found her voice; she sounded genuinely interested._

" _We are friends, right?" Rachel smiled. "You can deny it all you want but we are."_

 _Rachel smiled when Kate shook her head with resignation._

" _You are weird," she spoke up. "You know that most people have no idea how you can even talk to me on the everyday basis, considering St. James and all that."_

 _Rachel shrugged._

" _I've always been known to exceed everyone's expectations in more than just singing," she declared strongly but with a playful smile that Kate returned._

" _I think you need to go back to Jesse before his sister glares you to death," Kate stepped back, looking somewhere over Rachel's shoulder. "I'll see you at Jesse's place later."_

 _Not waiting for Rachel's response, Kate started walking away. Rachel sighed and wordlessly turned and stepped in the opposite direction. Not losing the smallest smile that appeared on her lips, she slipped into Jesse's arms and pecked his cheek. Just as she was doing so, the flash of Becca's camera went off, reminding her that Becca's paparazzi time was not over yet. Silencing him with another kiss, Rachel reached out and slipped the cap off his head to save his meticulously styled hair from ruin._

" _Where is she going again?" Jesse murmured into Rachel's ear, obediently posing for another picture much to Becca's childlike enthusiasm._

" _Home," Rachel explained. "She'll come to the party later."_

 _Jesse smiled, nodding his head. Rachel mimicked his move, stood up on her toes and reached up to Jesse's face to kiss him again._

 _It was the last time any of them heard from Kate for another four and a half months._

* * *

Rachel couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Andrea and Giselle standing next to Shelby right after she exited their green room to greet Kurt and Blaine in the backstage of the Carmel auditorium. After the first hasty greetings and hugs, the two girls explained that the homecoming gave them a good excuse to call out for a small reunion with the latest graduates.

"As it turned out," Andrea rolled her eyes. "Only we had enough time to actually come."

"And St. James told us that he'd been in Ohio not so long time ago," Giselle added. "The others..."

Their conversation was interrupted by Briana's surprised call. Rachel froze in her, earning a frown from the two girls in front of her. They all turned to see no one else but Kate in the company of a tall, dark-haired guy who Rachel immediately assumed to be Chris.

"And," Giselle spoke up again, ending her previous thought. "Abram didn't even pick up her phone."

Narrowing her eyes, Rachel folded her arms on her chest, looking at the apologetic expression forming on Kate's face. Everyone around them froze, as if waiting for Rachel to actually react; most of them were aware of Rachel's constantly growing frustration at Kate when it turned out that, despite her reassurances, she simply disappeared from everyone's lives as soon as she left for Columbus, not even bothering to answer one phone call, e-mail or text message.

For more than four _months_.

In the corner of her eye, Rachel saw that Justin whispered something to Kurt and Blaine before stepping forward. Kate's expression changed when she realised that she was not going to get a warm welcoming.

Kate sighed with resignation.

"Come on," the girl rolled her eyes, moving so that she was standing right in front of her. "You cannot be mad about that."

Rachel couldn't help the snort escaping her lips.

"Who says I'm _mad_?" Rachel snorted dryly but keeping her voice low. "In fact, I'm happy to see you here; it allows me to just enjoy the look on your face when I'll go now and be with the friends that actually care to keep in touch with other human beings."

With those words on her lips and ignoring half-shocked and half-amused stares of her teammates face, Rachel marched up to Kurt and Blaine, grabbing their arms and pulling them aside. She had her two best friends to take care of right now. Kate could do whatever the hell she wanted about that.

Outside in the parking lot, Rachel simply strode towards Kurt's car, stopping to only make sure he and Blaine followed her. They were looking at Rachel with poorly hidden interest but Kurt was the one to dare to open his mouth:

"Wait," Kurt spoke up suddenly. "Wasn't this Kate Jesse's ex-girlfriend or something? Why are you getting crazy angry at her for _not_ calling you?"

This time, Rachel grimaced, looking for the suitable way of expressing her odd relationship with Kate. She didn't want to delve into _that story_ again.

"We're complicated," she finally shrugged.

Pushing the unwanted considerations aside, Rachel waited for Kurt to open the door to the car and slipped instantly into the backseat, while Kurt and Blaine took their seats in the front. She saw the two of them exchange looks but they fortunately decided not to continue the topic, apparently letting Rachel be angry in silence. She didn't take up their silent offer, though:

"Do I really expect that much?" she asked again, this time with a dose of frustration.

"That depends," Blaine noticed, much more calmly. "But I don't think making a fuss over something like this is the best way to greet a former teammate."

Rachel's head snapped to look at Blaine.

"You're saying I _overreacted_?" her voice became dangerously low.

The response she received from Kurt and Blaine was unanimous:

"Yes."

Shaking her head, Rachel turned to look outside the window. She did _not_ overreact. Rachel had spent months trying to figure out why Kate would just disappear from the radar literally in the matter of hours. She had been worried, angry but most of all – confused. Kate could have been everything people thought of her – arrogant, abrasive and sometimes even downright rude – but she grew to be someone Rachel hated to see go away.

She had every right to feel the way she felt: angry, slightly disappointed and extremely frustrated at the fact that Kate left them – fine: Rachel primarily – completely in the dark about her whereabouts and life and wondering if she was even alive for so much time.

It was simply _unfair_.

Was replying to one damned email that hard?

Rachel's attention was caught by the sight of the tall hotel building on her left. Blinking, she looked around consciously for the first time since they started driving. Only then did she realise that Kurt was driving in the exact opposite direction than her and Shelby's apartment.

"Um, Kurt?" she asked uncertainly. "I thought I gave you the instructions to get to my apartment..."

"Oh, I know," Kurt grinned, suddenly forgetting abut their earlier grimaces as if she said something funny. "We have a surprise for you."

"Yes," Blaine joined in, equally excited about that something. He turned back to look at her with a grin. "Consider it a thank you for being an awesome friend and treat as a part of the new life of Rachel Berry, the lead of the fearless Vocal Adrenaline."

What? This time, Rachel threw the two of them a look full of hesitation. New Rachel Berry? She wasn't sure she liked the sound of those phrases along with the wide grins forming on Blaine's and Kurt's faces. Those weren't smiles were which saying simply "we like you and we want to help you." Those were the kinds of mischievous grins that screamed "get ready for something super exciting but potentially dangerous."

Rachel didn't like the dangerous.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked with suspicion. When they didn't respond, she narrowed her eyes at them. "Kurt Hummel, I demand that you told me where..."

"We're here," Blaine interrupted her.

Blinking, Rachel looked around and gaped when she realised that Kurt parked the car in front of a large mall. Seriously? She invited Kurt for the weekend and the first thing he wanted to do was going shopping instead of spending this time doing all the fun activities that Rachel had prepared?

"Well," Kurt glanced quickly at her, before opening the door and slipping out of the car. Blaine and Rachel followed him with different degrees of enthusiasm. "You start a new life so to say... I mean a new start without St. James to cramp your style that is... Anyway, there's nothing that goes better with a fresh start than a good old..."

He glanced at Blaine who rolled his eyes, before he finished the sentence:

"... makeover."

Rachel froze in her spot. Makeover? There was no power in the universe able to coerce her into agreeing to that idea. The sense of embarrassment was still very much present whenever she thought about the last time she agreed to Kurt's help concerning her clothes and looks. Even though she knew it was irrational to assume that Kurt planned on making a fool of her this time around again, her jaw hardened and she couldn't stop the grimace appearing on her face. Then again, he might've still been mad at her "trying to steal" Blaine away to Vocal Adrenaline.

"Oh come on," Kurt felt read through her hesitation immediately. "This time I mean a serious business. No hidden agendas."

Rachel threw Blaine a hasty look.

"Can you promise that I won't end up looking like a clown?"

Blaine nodded his head and solemnly swore to keep her safe. Before Rachel managed to respond, Kurt nudged Blaine's shoulder and they moved simultaneously, slipping their arms under how own and leading her over to the entrance.

* * *

Three hours, five shops, one hairdresser and one drugstore later Rachel stepped into her room in Shelby's apartment, with her head up high and an armful of colourful bags in her hands.

True to his promise, Kurt made her look normal but... pretty. Rachel-like but... better?

Looking into a large mirror, Rachel tried to evaluate her new look as objectively as she could, without the constantly enthusiastic comments from Kurt and Blaine. Out were the knee-socks and plaid skirts. In were a sweet pink, knee-long A-skirt and ballet shoes. Her fingernails were matching the tiny bag that Kurt pushed into her hands just before they left the last shop. The only element of her previous outfit was the thin chain with a golden starlet hanging around her neck, which Jesse had given her a few months earlier. Sighing, Rachel brushed her brand new bangs off her eyes – yes, she actually did get talked into getting bangs – and tried to imagine Jesse's reaction.

He was the only person in the world that has never commented on her looks. If so, it was always to assure her that the way she used to dress was the illustration of her originality and resistance to conform. But somehow, she knew he will love the new Rachel.

She kind of loved it herself.

Kurt entered the room just when Rachel took a picture of her reflection and sent it in a message to Jesse. Seeing Kurt, she turned from her reflection with a smile and asked about Blaine. Kurt's boyfriend couldn't stay longer because of some family event so after they finished shopping she had given Kurt some time to see Blaine off, while she Shelby picked her up and drove home.

Kurt collapsed onto the chair next to Rachel's bed and evaluated her mood.

"I told you I can work miracles even with you," Kurt smiled with self-satisfaction.

"I have to admit, I though it would be worse," Rachel teased him back.

"Worse than before?" Kurt chuckled and shoo his head. "Doubtful."

Before Rachel managed to respond with a snarky comment on her own, Shelby's voice from outside her room interrupted them. Rachel's mother knocked at the door to Rachel's room and stuck her head in. The two teenagers turned their heads to look at the woman expectedly.

"Rachel, you have a visitor," she said with a slightly uncertain expression.

"Really? Who?" Rachel asked, slightly surprised.

She was not used to having unannounced guests. In fact she preferred not to have such – unannounced guests meant surprise and surprise was something Rachel was not good with. Besides, who if not someone from the team or Jackie would want to drop off without a reason? As far as Rachel knew, Jackie was occupied that day and her teammates were too wary of Shelby to just knock at her door.

The answer to Rachel's question came all too soon. Before any of the people present in her room could do anything, a very unhappy-looking Shelby was pushed aside by... Andy.

"Sorry, we're kind of in a hurry and Rachel was not answering her pho..." Andy apologised with a grin, stepping into the room only to stop when her eyes fell on Rachel. "O, holy shit."

"Cohen, language," Shelby scolded her ex-student harshly.

As for herself, Rachel swallowed and looked down on her clothes with a new doubt creeping up her spine. What was that supposed to mean?

"Torres, you need to see this!" Andrea called to Giselle, who was apparently waiting in the livng room. Then, the girl turned back to look at Rachel and nodded with appreciation. "That's a nice improvement."

"What's the hustle about?" Giselle's irritated voice joined their group.

She followed Andy's grin. For the shortest moment she froze but shook her head soon after, regaining her composure with a roll of her eyes.

"Awesome, now we all know that she can look like a normal person," Giselle commented sarcastically. "Can we go now? I actually have places to be."

Rachel exchanged glances with a questioning Kurt but she knew just as little as he did. Finally, the attention of everyone in the small room went back from a slightly blushing Rachel to the reason for the unexpected visit. Shelby decided it was her cue to leave the youth alone. As soon as she disappeared, Andrea and Giselle closed the door behind them, obviously not willing for Shelby to eavesdrop. The two girls looked excited about something – Andy a bit more than Giselle – and suddenly Rachel realised what "the hustle was about".

"We're having a night out," Andrea announced with a grin. "In an hour at Jimmy's."

Rachel opened her mouth and closed it again when she looked at Kurt. The boy was sitting in his spot, simply moving his eyes from one girl to another in silence. When Andy mentioned a joined outing with Vocal Adrenaline, the smallest grimace ran through his face.

"No, I can't go out tonight," Rachel protested. "I have my weekend schedule full. Kurt's here and I promised him we could..."

"You can take him with you," Giselle patted her foot against the floor. She really wanted to be out of there.

Ignoring the glare that Andy threw at Giselle, Rachel bit on her lip. She really preferred spending a peaceful, quiet evening with Kurt to being surrounded by loud music and drinks. Besides, forcing Kurt to spend the night with people he didn't know was not something she really wanted to do.

But then, Andy, Giselle and even Kate have come just for this one weekend. Having only two of them in one room was a difficult thing to achieve these days; recreating such a meeting in the future would be even harder.

Fortunately, it was Kurt who made the decision for Rachel. He shrugged and combed his hair with his hand, throwing:

"I'm always up for a good party."

* * *

 **Kurt's POV**

The perspective of going out with the infamous Vocal Adrenaline, his glee competition and, basically, a bunch of bullies was not something that Kurt had prepared himself for when he accepted Rachel's invitation.

He couldn't help it. The past that the New Directions shared with Vocal Adrenaline, not only St. James but the whole group, was just too hard to ignore. Vocal Adrenaline teased them, called some nasty things and downright laughed at them, either on that day of afterwards. Kurt had dealt with a huge amount of intolerance in his life – he knew a bully when he met one. Even despite the fact that the relations that the Carmel club had with The Warblers were much better, Kurt still felt a great deal of connection with McKinley, which made him unable to simply forget the funkification.

Looking at everything that from the perspective of time, Kurt couldn't stop thinking that it was Rachel, who had lost most. So, when he had learned about Rachel's transfer to Carmel High, he decided that he needed to be supportive, not matter what it took. He felt like Rachel was not the person to be punished for St. James' idiotic secrecy and stubbornness. True, it was Jesse's blackmail from months before that initially pushed Kurt to seek out Rachel's friendship, but it was soon after that day that he had realised that he and Berry had a lot in common. Kurt was in no position to risk losing that one friend he had, who understood his loneliness in the crowd of ignorance.

Even if it meant dealing with the fact that Rachel was leading his greatest competition.

If he got over that, he could make it through one evening with them. Especially now, that he had a glimpse of the more or less amusing interrelations between some of the members of the team.

He was unhealthily curious to meet the infamous Casey, for example. From what Rachel was telling him, she was scheming behind Rachel's back as a revenge ploy for a past event of unfortunate public humiliation feast. As far as the other people are concerned, from what he gathered in the very short encounter in Rachel's room, it would seem that Giselle wasn't a fan of Rachel's either.

And then there was Jesse's ex-girlfriend. Or, Jesse's _something_ , to be precise. Kurt was in almost completely in the dark about that since Rachel refused to share this particular history with him or Blaine. Even having heard Rachel's side of the story, Kurt was somewhat baffled at Rachel's reaction to Kate's arrival. He almost hoped for the girl to be at the bar that night.

Speaking of which, Rachel was waiting for Kurt to finish the last touches to his outfit before they would enter the bar that the meeting was taking place. She was wearing a Hummel-approved dress and Kurt was really proud of himself. His idea of giving Rachel a makeover was the best thing he could think of doing for her for being there for him for the past few weeks.

Besides, every time they met he just couldn't stop the grimace at seeing her in those knee-socks and ugly sweaters. But that was not something he was going to share with her openly.

Looking around, Kurt couldn't help but notice that the average age of the people standing in front of the bar was definitely higher than sixteen, which meant that teenagers weren't the usual clientele of that particular place. He glanced back at Rachel but she either failed to notice the eye's of a group of twenty-something guys and girls following her short figure – or ignored them altogether for some reason.

The reason became apparent for Kurt in a matter of seconds. Much to Kurt's expectations, they were greeted at the door by a tall, bulky guy, who looked at them with a cocked eyebrow.

"Ids?" he asked mockingly.

Kurt was ready to pull Rachel away – he had no intention of being dragged away by a some barbarian – when the girl cleared her throat and rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Seriously, Chris?" Rachel sighed.

Kurt blinked when the guy just chuckled and pointed his finger at Kurt of all people.

"I'm sorry, Rachel," the guy called Chris laughed. "Your friend looked like he was going to run away every second. I couldn't help it."

For the first time, Rachel glanced back at Kurt as if seeking confirmation to her friend's words and grinned. Kurt frowned at that. He swore he could control his facial expression better than to be read through by some random person on the street.

Chris let them through with another chuckle but Kurt had other things on his mind. Not for the first time he was amazed at the clear difference between Vocal Adrenaline and the McKinley glee club. Apparently, breaking the law was not more unusual for them than having a breakfast.

Inside, the was met with a wave of laughter and loud music. Rachel grabbed his arm and pulled him further in the direction of the large table in the center of the room occupied by twenty-some girls and boys, all of whom Kurt recognised as the members of Vocal Adrenaline. He immediately noticed the presence of Kate, who looked up as soon as she heard someone calling out Rachel's name. Kurt saw the girl stand up just to be immediately pushed back into her seat by Andrea Cohen.

Rachel, again, proved to have a selective attention and ignored the small scene altogether. Instead, she properly introduced Kurt to her teammates, who greeted him politely but, in some cases, with a visible caution.

 _And vice versa_ , Kurt thought waving shortly with the greatest grin he could muster.

* * *

 **Rachel's POV**

Whatever she was doing, Rachel couldn't stop felling like she was observed. As someone who was used to be in the center of everyone's attention for the past few months, she ignored it at the beginning, but the sense of being watched have not left her for almost an hour since she and Kurt arrived at the bar. She knew who was watching her and she had no intention of making it easier for Kate. The girl was sitting in the corner of the bar; she was talking silently to her boyfriend Chris, but her eyes would from time to time scan the room. Rachel snorted internally. Kate could not just expect Rachel to suffer from being ignored for so long and to forget about the whole situation whenever Kate felt like it.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Rachel looked around the people she was sitting with. Kurt almost immediately found himself a conversation partner in Meg, their Vocal Adrenaline's impromptu dance captain. Remembering Kurt's reluctance to join her that evening, Rachel was happy to see him get along with someone from her new team. It was her ultimate goal to prevent the "Jesse mess" kind of situation from happening again this year.

On her left, Bri was glaring at the crowd of dancing people. Or more importantly, she was looking straight at one particular couple: Andy had snatched Justin to herself as soon as they came and didn't left his side for a minute since that. Judging from Justin's laughter, he was the last person to complain. Rachel sent Briana a sympathetic glance; Briana and Justin didn't officially came put as a couple yet, but Rachel was not blind and could see the secret looks and smiles that the Bri and Justin would exchange. Plus, Justin and Andy had something going on last year, which was something that now drove Bri almost mad.

"I'm going to get us something to drink," Bri announced harshly out o the sudden.

She jumped to her feet and left them in a hurry. Kurt and Meg barely threw her a glance before returning to their conversation about clothes.

"It's karaoke time!" someone called out.

Rachel looked around to see that Andy and Giselle jumped to their feet, dragging Kate away from her companion. Meg apologised to Kurt and left him with Rachel, while she went away in search for a duet partner.

Having no other choice, Kurt joined Rachel. The girl leaned in and called over the overall sounds of cheering:

"Are you having fun?"

Much to her relief, Kurt nodded his head.

"Surprisingly, I do," he laughed. "Aren't you going to sing anything?"

Grinning, Rachel reached out a hand to Kurt.

"Only if I have my second-favourite duet partner to sing with me."

Rachel led Kurt closer to the stage.

"Wait," Kurt called behind her. "I think someone took the mic before us. Maybe we should just wait and…"

Rachel didn't even stop to roll her eyes. As soon as her team noticed her, Patrick stopped and took the microphone away from Casey's hands to pass it to Rachel without another comment. It was so different from McKinley. If Kurt was surprised at that behaviour, he kept his feelings to himself, though. In meantime, Rachel grabbed the two microphones, ordered her song and enthusiastically jumped onto the stage.

"It's not McKinley, Kurt," Rachel grinned at the boy beside her. "Just smile, sing and live my life a little."

* * *

"Oh, my god, that _was_ amazing!" Kurt laughed out loud as soon as they jumped off the stage after finishing their third song. Rachel responded with a laughter of her own and nodded her head. She loved singing, but she loved being cheered by her team even more.

"I told you, coming to Akron was a good idea!" she called, leading them both to their table.

Before they were able to grab something to drink, one of the younger girls told her that her someone called her phone. While Kurt went away to the bar, Rachel glanced at the device and noticed a missed call and a message from Jesse saying that he just finished working on his project with some people from his class but will call her later. He didn't mention her new look, though, so she wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that.

Still smiling to herself, Rachel looked around in search for Briana and found her sitting alone by the table. Rachel moved in her direction but stopped when she noticed that Justin slipped into the spot next to her. The girl greeted the boy with a smile and he rolled his eyes in response to whatever she told him. Meanwhile, Andy was chatting happily with Giselle at the other side of the long table.

Deciding that she wasn't in the mood to talk for a moment, Rachel found herself on her way to the ladies' room. Inside, she leaned against the cold surface of the wall behind her and sighed. She brushed her new bangs off her forehead, still not used to the unfamiliar feeling.

"I told you, I have no idea who you are," Kate's voice reached the small room just before the girl itself appeared in the doorway.

Before that happened, though, Rachel instinctively jumped into the nearest stall – not wanting to confront Kate and whoever she was talking to at the moment. She held her breath to make sure no one would find her there.

"Come on," a new voice replied to Kate's previous words. "This year's spring break in San Diego?"

Rachel frowned when she recognised Casey's voice. She had no idea Case knew Kate.

"I don't remember much from that week," Kate's voice argued monotonously. Rachel could almost imagine the girl shrug along with the answer. "Especially not some random girl I _allegedly_ slept with."

Rachel's jaw hit the floor.

"But..." Casey tried to argue but was interrupted by the sound of Kate's irritated sigh.

"Look," Kate said. "I have something a bit more important on my head right now, okay?"

"Who? Rachel Berry?" Casey inquired. Rachel bit her lip and cursed the clear undertone of curiosity present in that question. "That was quite a spectacle in the auditorium earlier."

"Contrary to the popular belief, the world does not resolve around Rachel Berry," Kate's reply was instantaneous. "And you should stop asking everyone around her and her personal life otherwise not only keeping your spot in the team but your social life in Carmel may become significantly troublesome."

Rachel held her breath. She didn't know that Casey was asking around about her and she definitely did not like that. Not even a bit. Praying not to be noticed, Rachel ever so slightly cracked the door to the stall open to at least try to catch a glimpse of the girls outside. Holding her breath, Rachel pushed the door ajar. Kate was leaning over the sink with her face close to the mirror above it, trying to reapply her lipstick. She wasn't looking at Casey, who stood a few steps away with her arms crossed in an angry manner.

"What can she do anyway? Tell her mummy on me?"

Casey tried to sound nonchalant, but it was obvious that _she_ did care about the answer to that question. Rachel had more and more fun, despite the situation and the fact that, technically, they were talking about her.

Kate didn't respond to Casey's words immediately. She just remained silent while making sure her make up was on spot before putting away her lipstick and, finally, looking at the girl beside her pointedly.

Rachel knew that look and was completely prepared for what came next:

"Rachel? No, she can take care of you herself. But I can make sure she knows where to hit."

Rachel frowned. That was it? she thought almost with disappointment. She somehow expected more from her impromptu defender. Without much of a surprise, she noticed that the words didn't impress Case either.

"You really think that I care about people knowing?"

"No, but they will definitely be interested in hearing that you are a little sleazy thing that cannot understand the concept of a one night stand and voices some ridiculous sentiments after more than six months. That is the greatest way to start off in a new school."

This time, Rachel had to cover her mouth with her hand to muffle the chuckle. Not really caring whether what Kate said was true or not, she couldn't stop the satisfied smirk from forming on her face. If Kate was successful – and if there was one thing she was excellent at, it was intimidating other people – Rachel was sure to have some rest from Casey for the time being.

Speaking of which, the only response that Rachel registered from her hideout was a muffled curse and the sound of someone – Casey most probably – storming out of the bathroom. Kate stayed in the ladies' room for another minute and, finally, left the place as well.

And that's how Rachel was left alone. Just as the door behind the girl closed, Rachel opened the door to the stall and grinned at her reflection in the mirror.

Her considerations were interrupted by the sound of the custom ringtone coming from her bag. Rachel immediately reached for the device and pulled it out to see that Jesse was calling her. Exiting the bathroom, she answered his call just to be greeted by Jesse's laughter against the wall of background noise of the bar that she was in.

"Rach?" her boyfriend exclaimed over the overall noise. Rachel looked around and decided that she needed to get outside.

"Hi, sorry for the noise," Rachel apologised to him as soon as she was standing by the front entrance. She nodded at Chris, her ex-teammate, who smiled and called after her to say hi to Jesse. "I can talk now."

"Where are you?" Jesse asked with uncertainty.

Rachel found herself a bench to sit on and shortly told him about her crazy day, leaving out only the pieces connected with her small argument with Kate and the overheard conversation between Kate and Casey. She was certain that someone already told him that Kate was in town – bringing up her mixed feelings towards that event wasn't something Rachel wanted to delve into right now. If Jesse was interested in Kate's sudden appearance, he would ask.

"And now I'm sitting outside, talking to my second best person in the whole world," Rachel laughed slightly, earning a chuckle from Jesse himself.

"Wait, you didn't tell me you have someone on the other line," Jesse retorted jokingly.

Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, Jesse, but you will always lose to Barbra."

"That I can accept."

The door to the bar opened and Rachel stiffened when she realised that the person outside was Chris. But not Chris as in their former teammate. It was Chris, as in Kate's boyfriend, Chris. And he was going in her direction

* * *

 **I know. Seriously, I know it's been way too long. But I have a good excuse – my MA defence is in two days, so I've been cramming for weeks (to make sure I'll do well enough to be accepted into the PhD programme next year – wish me luck!)**

 **Because of that, you have to bear with me for another couple of days/weeks. I'll do my best to go back to posting regularly.**

 **-s.**


End file.
